Tamil Nadu NEET Scam: NTA submits thumb impressions of 4,250 MBBS students to CB-CID
Chennai: In compliance with the orders of the Madras High Court, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has submitted the thumb impressions of 4,250 students admitted to medical courses in Tamil Nadu this year to Crime-Branch CID that is probing the NEET impersonation scam.
The thumb impressions were collected when the students appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2019) across the country.
The court had on October 16 directed the NTA to send all details, including thumb impressions, to the CB-CID and file a compliance report.
Read Also: NEET Scam in Tamil Nadu: DME orders all Medical Colleges to gather thumbprints of 1st year MBBS students
The decision to gather thumbprints of fresher MBBS students was taken in the wake of the NEET scam that surfaced in the state recently. Medical Dialogues had been extensively reporting about the same.
The fraud was exposed after a Theni Medical College's medico was booked under IPC Sections 419, 420 and 120 (B) for alleged impersonation in NEET. The matter was forwarded to the Selection Committee of the DME and the cops on the basis of the complaint filed by the Theni Medical College Dean Dr AK Rajendran.
Read Also: Tamil Nadu: MBBS medico booked for impersonation applies for anticipatory bail
The investigation into the matter kept on unfolding unexpected twists, wherein a doctor, who was allegedly liaisoned with an agent who facilitated the impersonation; a Keralite agent; three more MBBS students and their parents also fell under the scanner of the CB-CID.
Read Also: NEET Scam: 2 medical colleges Deans to face inquiry; MBBS students, parents allege threat calls by agents
A proxy candidate had allegedly appeared for NEET instead of the MBBS student, who joined the Theni Medical College, based on the marks secured by the hired man in the exam. Apart from the use of proxy candidates, other angles like fudging NEET score were also being looked into in the case.
After questioning of the three, it came to light that a number of other students from Tamil Nadu had also used foul means to gain MBBS admission into medical colleges. During the preliminary inquiry, it was revealed that lakhs of rupees reportedly changed hands to help aspirants join MBBS through illegal means.
Further, the matter reached the Madras High Court where the bench observed that the fraud of NEET impersonation for acquiring MBBS Admission may have not been confined to Tamil Nadu alone, but may have spread all over India.
Read Also: Probe into NEET scam to go Pan India: Madras High Court
Thereafter, the bail pleas of 8 accused in the case including students and their parents were dismissed by the Judicial Magistrate Court, reports Hindu
Now, during a recent hearing on the case, the NTA informed the HC that thumb impressions of 4,250 students has been sent to the Crime-Branch CID
These thumb impressions would be compared with those obtained during admission to medical courses to find out if there was any mismatch.
The NTA also said that the thumb impressions of those admitted to deemed to be universities in the state alone were yet to be received by the CB-CID. The bench then directed the CB-CID to visit the deemed universities along with the forensic department and obtain the thumb impressions, adding the process should be video graphed and the universities should extend cooperation.
Since the assistance of experts would be required to compare the thumb impressions, the court impleaded the director of Finger Print Bureau and directed it to provide the needed manpower. The court took note of the NEET impersonation scam while hearing a petition filed by S Dheeran for a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to undertake proper counselling and 'mop-up procedure' to fill the 207 management quota MBBS seats in various colleges.
Read Also: Tamil Nadu NEET Scam: High Court pulls up CB CID for not taking accused MBBS student into custody
The thumb impressions were collected when the students appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2019) across the country.
The court had on October 16 directed the NTA to send all details, including thumb impressions, to the CB-CID and file a compliance report.
Read Also: NEET Scam in Tamil Nadu: DME orders all Medical Colleges to gather thumbprints of 1st year MBBS students
The decision to gather thumbprints of fresher MBBS students was taken in the wake of the NEET scam that surfaced in the state recently. Medical Dialogues had been extensively reporting about the same.
The fraud was exposed after a Theni Medical College's medico was booked under IPC Sections 419, 420 and 120 (B) for alleged impersonation in NEET. The matter was forwarded to the Selection Committee of the DME and the cops on the basis of the complaint filed by the Theni Medical College Dean Dr AK Rajendran.
Read Also: Tamil Nadu: MBBS medico booked for impersonation applies for anticipatory bail
The investigation into the matter kept on unfolding unexpected twists, wherein a doctor, who was allegedly liaisoned with an agent who facilitated the impersonation; a Keralite agent; three more MBBS students and their parents also fell under the scanner of the CB-CID.
Read Also: NEET Scam: 2 medical colleges Deans to face inquiry; MBBS students, parents allege threat calls by agents
A proxy candidate had allegedly appeared for NEET instead of the MBBS student, who joined the Theni Medical College, based on the marks secured by the hired man in the exam. Apart from the use of proxy candidates, other angles like fudging NEET score were also being looked into in the case.
After questioning of the three, it came to light that a number of other students from Tamil Nadu had also used foul means to gain MBBS admission into medical colleges. During the preliminary inquiry, it was revealed that lakhs of rupees reportedly changed hands to help aspirants join MBBS through illegal means.
Further, the matter reached the Madras High Court where the bench observed that the fraud of NEET impersonation for acquiring MBBS Admission may have not been confined to Tamil Nadu alone, but may have spread all over India.
Read Also: Probe into NEET scam to go Pan India: Madras High Court
Thereafter, the bail pleas of 8 accused in the case including students and their parents were dismissed by the Judicial Magistrate Court, reports Hindu
Now, during a recent hearing on the case, the NTA informed the HC that thumb impressions of 4,250 students has been sent to the Crime-Branch CID
These thumb impressions would be compared with those obtained during admission to medical courses to find out if there was any mismatch.
The NTA also said that the thumb impressions of those admitted to deemed to be universities in the state alone were yet to be received by the CB-CID. The bench then directed the CB-CID to visit the deemed universities along with the forensic department and obtain the thumb impressions, adding the process should be video graphed and the universities should extend cooperation.
Since the assistance of experts would be required to compare the thumb impressions, the court impleaded the director of Finger Print Bureau and directed it to provide the needed manpower. The court took note of the NEET impersonation scam while hearing a petition filed by S Dheeran for a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to undertake proper counselling and 'mop-up procedure' to fill the 207 management quota MBBS seats in various colleges.
Read Also: Tamil Nadu NEET Scam: High Court pulls up CB CID for not taking accused MBBS student into custody
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