Analysing digital evidence in AIIMS paper leak: CBI to HC

New Delhi: The CBI has told the Delhi High Court that digital evidence, seized in connection with the alleged leakage of AIIMS MBBS entrance exam paper from a Ghaziabad-based test centre, has been sent for forensic analysis.

The probe agency, in a status report filed before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, has said that a report is awaited from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Thiruvananthapuram where the evidence is being examined.

The agency also said it was looking into the call data records of suspected mobile numbers.

It said it has recorded statements of several persons, including the AIIMS Assistant Controller of Examination and the person who had informed about the leak.

The court listed the matter for hearing on December 15.

The CBIs status report was filed in a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged illegalities and irregularities during the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) MBBS entrance exam held on May 28 this year.

In August, the agency had told the bench that it had registered a case in June on the alleged leak of question paper for the AIIMS MBBS entrance examination.

It had told the court that "specific questions in the leaked screen shots were used in SET-3 of shift-2 at exam centre - HR Institute of Technology, Morta, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh".

"It has also been found that the specific combination and sequence of the questions was randomly and uniquely allocated to a particular candidate," CBI had said in its report filed through Special Public Prosecutor Rajdipa Behura.

The PIL was moved by a doctor, Anand Rai, who claims to be a whistleblower in the Vyapam scam case, and has sought directions to the AIIMS to quash the result declared on June 15 for the MBBS exam held on May 28.

The petitioner, in his rejoinder, has said it was "imperative" that a re-examination is conducted "to avoid the possibility of candidates securing admission through corrupt and illegal means over meritorious candidates".

Rai had on May 31 alleged that the question papers of this year's entrance exam for MBBS course of the AIIMS were leaked.

He had, in a series of tweets, posted images of question papers of the entrance examination which was held across the country on May 28 and said he had received the snapshots from a source who claimed these were leaked from a college in Lucknow when the online test was going on.

Rai had also alleged that AIIMS MBBS seats were being "sold".