New Delhi, Jun 22: Facing flak over alleged discrepancies in competitive exams, the Centre on Saturday shunted out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the CBI.
The Education Ministry also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms.
It postponed the NEET-PG entrance, the fourth entrance exam to be impacted in recent days.
“We stand for transparent, tamper-free and zero error examination. A panel has been formed on exam reforms, strict action has been taken against officials and the case has been handed over to CBI,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.
“Students' interest will be safeguarded at any cost,” he said after a flurry of decisions amid litigation and protests in different parts of the country on the issue of alleged irregularities in entrance exams.
The opposition hit out at the government, with the Congress alleging that the education system has been “ruined” under the Modi government.
Pradhan, however, denied any leak of CSIR-NET paper and said the exam was postponed due to logistical reasons. He also asserted that anybody involved or responsible for any irregularity in NEET-UG will not be spared.
Bihar Police on Friday night detained six more people from Jharkhand's Deoghar district in connection with the alleged leak of NEET paper in the state, an official said. Its Economic Offences Unit last month arrested 13 people, including prime suspect Sikandar Yadavendu, in connection with the alleged paper leak.
The EOU is also exploring the “possibility of conducting narco analysis and brain mapping tests” of the accused, sources said.
They also indicated that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) might investigate the money laundering aspect.
The Education Ministry notified a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through NTA.
The Centre has also operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations with provisions entailing a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.
Nearly four months after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the Personnel Ministry on Friday night notified the law.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, however, termed it as a “whitewash” and asserted that the BJP cannot evade its responsibility in “promoting corruption and education mafia”.
In a post in Hindi on ‘X', Rahul Gandhi said, “Now NEET-PG is also postponed. This is another unfortunate example of the education system that has been ruined under the rule of Narendra Modi.”
“Now it is clear — Modi, who used to silently watch the spectacle every time — is completely helpless in front of the paper leak racket and education mafia,” the former Congress chief said.
