Court accepts Class 12 'topper' as minor in exam cheating case

A district court here today accepted that the controversial Humanities 'topper' in the Bihar Intermediate Examination, who has been arrested in connection with an examination cheating racket, is a minor.
Special Vigilance court judge Raghvendra Kumar Singh accepted that the girl is a minor on the basis of her matriculation certificate which mentioned her date of birth as November 15, 1998, paving the way for her shifting from Beur model jail to a remand home.
The girl along with the Science stream topper had come into limelight after they gave ridiculous answers to questions on their subjects in a video which went viral, prompting an inquiry.

She was arrested by Special Investigation Team (SIT) as she emerged from a re-test of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) on June 25 and sent to Beur jail.
But, as per her matriculation certificate she is 17 years, 3 months and nine days old and cannot be sent to jail.
Former member of the Juvenile Justice Board K D Mishra, who appeared in the court in favour of the girl, presented her matriculation certificate to claim that she is a minor.

The lawyer of the Bihar School Examination Board also did not oppose the matriculation certificate of the girl in the court today.

With the court accepting her as a minor, it meant that she would be shifted to a remand home from Beur model jail of Patna.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna Manu Maharaj,
who is heading the SIT, told