Bihar govt issues notification regarding handing over NEET case to CBI

The Bihar government on Monday issued a notification regarding handing over the NEET-UG paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In the notification, the government said, "In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 6 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act, 1946 (Act 25 of 1946), the Governor of Bihar is pleased to give his assent to the Delhi Special Police Establishment, who have been entrusted with the exercise of powers and jurisdiction in the state and other places related to the case to investigate/supervise and investigate the FIR No. 5117081240358, dated 05.05.2024, registered at the Shashtri Nagar Police Station in Patna under sections 407, 408, 409, 120 of the IPC, which relate to irregularities in the NEET (UG) 2024 examination held on May 5, 2024."

Notably, the Bihar government had handed over the investigation of alleged irregularities in the 2024 NEET-UG exam to the CBI for a thorough probe.
"Bihar government is to hand over the case related to the irregularities in the NEET UG examination held on May 5 to the CBI. The CBI team is expected soon in Patna to take over the investigation of the case.

Economic Offences Unit shall hand over all the updated case records to CBI," Economic Offences Unit (EOU) DIG, Nayyar Hasnain Khan had said on Sunday.

After taking over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG exams in 2024, the CBI formed special teams to investigate the case, the central agency said in a statement on Sunday.

This comes after the central government entrusted the CBI with the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam in 2024 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, and 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 CBI for a comprehensive investigation," the government said.

The 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 matters connected therewith or incidental thereto," it said.

"The government is committed to ensuring the sanctity of examinations and protecting the interests of students. It is reiterated that any individual or organisation found to be involved will face strictest action," it added.

The 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 out of 720, which added to the concerns.