Amid outrage over the wide nexus involved in the NEET question paper leak, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh on Thursday appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, facing questions over the question paper leak fiasco, which led to the cancellation of the test required to pursue medicine.
According to sources, Singh told the committee that the agency does not consider the NEET examination to have been "leaked".
Despite repeated questions from Opposition members, NTA officials reportedly maintained that the matter is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the agency would acknowledge it as a paper leak only after the CBI concludes its probe and officially confirms it.
Government MPs back NTA chief
Members of the committee also questioned the NTA over previous incidents related to alleged paper leaks. Committee chairman Digvijaya Singh raised several questions before the NTA officials during the meeting.
Sources said MPs from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) side were seen supporting the NTA’s stand during the discussions.
Following the revelation that a major chunk of the questions were leaked, the results for the National Eligibiliy-cum Entrance Test Undergraduate, held on May 3, were cancelled two days later.
The NEET re-exam will be held on June 21.
CBI reveals larger nexus, paper leak conspiracy
This comes after the CBI made several arrests in the NEET paper leak case, thus revealing a multi-state nexus between teachers setting the paper for the NTA and private coaching bosses. A total of 10 people have been arrested by the agency so far.
A Delhi court on Wednesday sent 5 accused in the NEET paper leak case to judicial custody till June 2, while extending the CBI custody of another accused as the agency continued its probe into the alleged examination scam.
Special Judge Ajay Gupta granted the CBI’s request for judicial custody of Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal, all arrested from Jaipur, along with Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Dhananjay Lokhande from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar.
The CBI told the court that it was still investigating the larger conspiracy behind the alleged leak and trying to trace the source of the question paper. The agency said the accused needed to be taken to multiple locations across the country, including Nashik in Maharashtra, as part of the investigation.
Among the other accused in the case are the alleged kingpin PV Kulkarni, and Manisha Sanjay Waghmare. The CBI has also arrested biology lecturer Manisha Mandhare, who was reportedly a member of the National Testing Agency’s paper setting committee.
According to the agency, Waghmare conspired with a public servant linked to the NTA and others to obtain the NEET question paper and answer key before the examination. The CBI alleged that she later shared the material with several individuals, including the accused Dhananjay Lokhande, in exchange for money.
Investigators further claimed that Kulkarni, described as a “subject expert”, worked with Waghmare and others to provide confidential exam related material to selected students for substantial financial gains.
The 10th arrest in the case came on May 17, when Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar, founder of the Renukai Career Centre coaching institute in Latur, was taken into custody.
Also read: Dharmendra Pradhan reviews re-exam preparedness, orders action against fake news
