NEET UG Exam and UGC NET June 2024 Live Updates: CBI intensifies crackdown, arrests Jharkhand journalist in paper leak case, search on in Gujarat

Earlier, the CBI initiated searches at seven locations in Gujarat as part of the NEET-UG paper leak case. The operation commenced in the morning at the residences of suspects located in four districts: Anand, Kheda, Ahmedabad, and Godhra.

CBI is conducting searches at seven locations in Gujarat in the NEET-UG paper leak case, and official told news agency PTI.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a journalist in the NEET UG paper leak case. The accused has been identified as Jamaluddin, who worked for Prabhat Khabar newspaper, sources say. This is the third arrest that the central probe agency has made in the paper leak case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially detained the principal of Oasis School in Hazaribag and five others in relation to the NEET leak case. This arrest follows a three-day interrogation period. Additionally, today, authorities questioned a senior journalist from a local daily in connection with the investigation.

Amid an uproar in the Rajya Sabha over the NEET issue, senior JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda on Friday appealed to the opposition to let the House function smoothly and said the government cannot fix responsibility until the probe in the matter is completed.

Rajya Sabha witnessed chaotic scenes as opposition members demanding a discussion on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) raised slogans and entered the Well of the House during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.

Intervening during the discussion, Gowda said lakhs of students have been affected because of the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the medical entrance exam.

"I do not want to take sides. The government has taken the right decision (to order a CBI probe)," the former prime minister said.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), urging the union government to scrap NEET and allow state governments to undertake medical admissions based on class 12 marks, as was done before NEET's implementation.

The resolution was introduced by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin amid uproar over a paper leak in the NEET-UG 2024 examination and the sudden postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examination.

Several regional parties, including Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), supported the resolution.

Earlier, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP K. Kanimozhi reiterated the demand to "exempt" Tamil Nadu from NEET, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for medical admissions across the country.

"Tamil Nadu has been consistently saying that we do not want NEET. Now it is proved that NEET is not a fair examination, and students are losing so much because of NEET," Kanimozhi told ANI in Delhi.

"The committee is seeking suggestions, views and ideas from stakeholders, particularly students and parents, from June 27 to July 7, 2024. The suggestions can be submitted using mygov platform," a senior MoE official said.

Following the paper leak controversy around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical undergraduates and the cancellation of UGC-NET due to "lack of integrity," the opposition has been raising demands to discuss the issue of paper leaks in Parliament.

Congress MP KC Venugopal on Friday submitted an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss the unprecedented cases of paper leaks in the conduct of exams, including NEET-UG and UGC NET, and the failure of NTA.

Aam Admi Party leader Sanjay Singh has given a notice under Rule 267 to discuss the NEET issue in the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain on Friday gave a suspension of Business Notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss cases of paper leaks in the conduct of exams, including NEET-UG and UGC-NET.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi gives an Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Examination. The CM urged PM to abolish NEET and restore the previous system of conducting this exam by state governments.

"I am constrained to write to you regarding the recent developments involving the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Examination. The allegations of paper leaks, taking bribes by certain people and the officials involved in the conduct of the examinations, the opening of windows to accommodate certain students to apply for examinations, grace marks, etc. are some of the serious issues that need complete attention and require a thorough, clean and impartial probe. Such instances jeopardise the careers and aspirations of lakhs and lakhs of students who look forward to getting admission into these medical courses," the CM wrote.

Sanjay Jadhav, the primary school teacher arrested in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak scam, has been suspended and his transfer order cancelled.

Jadhav, who was posted at Takali village in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, had sought a transfer to Akkalkot, citing his wife’s mental health issues. He had also furnished a medical certificate of her condition. Now, the authenticity of this certificate, too, will be checked.

Jadhav is an accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case and has been in custody of Maharashtra ATS since June 24. Jadhav and another arrested accused, Jaleel Khan Pathan — a Latur-based zilla parishad (ZP) school headmaster — were charged with acting as agents in the paper leak scam. Their exact roles are being ascertained. Probe revealed that Jadhav had sought a transfer to Akkalkot, where he used to meet students’ parents and assure them of their children’s high scores in NEET.

Pressure to advertise their strike rates in competitive examinations to increase enrolment for private tutorials made a coaching centre approach Supreme Court on Wednesday, alleging that National Testing Agency (NTA) has not provided for a mechanism to redress grievances of candidates regarding evaluation of OMR sheets in NEET-UG examination.

A vacation bench of Justices Manoj Misra and S V N Bhatti wondered as to which fundamental right of the coaching centre was violated to entitle it file a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution. “You are a coaching institute. How can you file a petition under Article 32,” it asked senior advocate R Basant.

When Basant said even if the court disregards the coaching centre, there are four other students who have filed a joint petition alleging that OMR answer sheets have discrepancies in evaluation and that there is no mechanism provided by the NTA to address these grievances.

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Thursday protested at the Jantar Mantar here over the alleged rigging of the NEET UG exam and against the Agniveer Scheme and claimed that police resorted to lathicharge. However, the police used 'mild force' when the protesters tried to break the barricades but did not use lathicharge, a senior police officer said.In a statement, IYC claimed that when the protesters moved forward to gherao the Parliament led by IYC national president Srinivas BV, police tried to stop them with barricades, and lathicharge.Several workers were also detained, it said.Several IYC workers gathered at the Jantar Mantar for the protest, raising slogans and carrying placards. IYC national president Srinivas BV alleged that the scam in the NEET exam is not just a fraud with 24 lakh students but also a fraud with the country's medical system and future.

After the procedural formalities, turbulence looms over the new Parliament as the opposition has decided to raise the issue of NEET scam and paper leaks in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday, with indications that it is not ready for a compromise on the issue.

The opposition parties will move an adjournment notice in Lok Sabha and is likely to move a notice for discussion under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha on Friday.

The demand carries the seed of serious confrontation on the very first day of substantive business in the 18th Lok Sabha. While the govt business has listed the start of discussion on the “motion of thanks” to the Prez’s joint address, INDIA bloc wants to start the Parliament session with a discussion on NEET-paper leaks.

At a meeting of the opposition at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the parties decided that NEET is a serious issue impacting the future of lakhs of youth, and it cannot be clubbed with debate on “motion of thanks”. It is generally assumed that the opposition can raise its issues of concern in the debate on the President’s address.

A 17-year-old medical aspirant allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his rented accommodation here, police said on Thursday. This is the twelfth case of suspected suicide by a coaching student in Kota since January. The number of student suicides in Kota stood at 26 in 2023.

Bihar native Hrishit Kumar Agrawal, a student of Class 12, was preparing for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) at a coaching institute here, Dadabari ASI Shambhu Dayal said.

He lived in a rented room in a building in Chota Chaurahin Dadabari area where some other coaching students also resided, he said.

At around 1 pm on Thursday, the other students informed police after Agrawal did not open his door when they knocked, he said