NEET-UG row: Six arrested accused undergo medical examination in Patna

The six accused arrested in connection with the NEET-UG case today underwent medical examination at LNJP Hospital Patna in Bihar.

Bihar Police arrested the accused from Jharkhand's Deoghar on June 21.

Soon after being entrusted with the probe into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance-Test (NEET) (UG) Examination 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in the case, sources said on Sunday.

In the early hours of Sunday, the central government entrusted the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET (UG) Examination 2024 to the CBI for a comprehensive investigation.

"National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET(UG) Examination on May 5, 2024, in OMR (Pen and paper) mode. Certain cases of alleged irregularities/cheating/impersonation/malpractices have been reported. For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, after a review has decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation. Central Government has also enacted the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to prevent unfair means in public examinations and to provide for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto," the government said.

"The government is committed to ensuring the sanctity of examinations and protect the interest of students. It is reiterated that any individual/ organization found to be involved will face strictest action," it added.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA.

An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns.

The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvements in data security protocols and the functioning of the NTA.

The 7-member committee, led by ISRO former chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan, will submit its report to the ministry in the next two months.

"In order to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts to make recommendations on reform in the mechanism of examination process improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of National Testing Agency," the ministry said.