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Allegations of Paper Leak and Chaos Mar BPSC 70th Prelims Exam 2024

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The BPSC 70th Integrated Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 prelims, held on December 13, faced allegations of paper leaks and chaos at a Patna exam center. Students reported late distribution of question papers and threats from unidentified individuals. The exam was conducted in a single shift across 912 centers in Bihar, with negative marking for incorrect answers. Successful candidates will proceed to the main exam, with 2,035 vacancies to be filled. The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) 70th Integrated Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 preliminary exam, conducted on December 13, has been overshadowed by allegations of paper leaks and disorder at one of the exam centers in Patna. Reports indicate that some students experienced delays in receiving their question booklets and OMR sheets, with claims that the papers were distributed an hour late in some instances. Adding to the controversy, students alleged that unidentified individuals entered the examination halls and issued threats to candidates. These incidents have raised serious concerns about the integrity and security of the examination process. The BPSC 70th preliminary exam was held in a single shift from 12 noon to 2 pm across 912 centers throughout Bihar. Despite the issues reported at the Patna center, the exam proceeded as scheduled in other locations. The preliminary exam is a crucial step in the recruitment process, with negative marking applied for incorrect answers. Only those who pass this stage will be eligible to take the BPSC CCE main exam, the dates for which will be announced following the declaration of the prelims results. The BPSC aims to fill 2,035 vacancies through this competitive examination. However, the allegations of paper leaks and the chaotic scenes at the Patna center have cast a shadow over the process. Speaking to news agency ANI, several students expressed their frustration and disappointment, citing instances of torn question booklet seals and answer sheets found in inappropriate places, such as toilets. The BPSC has yet to respond to these allegations, and the situation remains tense as candidates and their families await further clarification and action from the authorities. The integrity of the examination process is paramount, and these allegations highlight the need for stringent measures to ensure fairness and transparency in future exams. Source: Indian Express Photo Credit: Indian Express

Students to move Supreme Court after centre cancelled controversial-NEET exam

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Over 50 successful Gujarat-based NEET-UG candidates, including several top rankers, have moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to restrain the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) from cancelling the controversy-ridden exam. They have requested the top court to direct the Union education ministry to investigate and take strict action against students and others who indulged in unfair practices like paper leak and impersonation in the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 5 this year. A fresh plea by 56 students was filed just days before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear 26 petitions seeking various reliefs, including a re-test and a probe into the conduct of the exam, which has been plagued by allegations of malpractices. These allegations, including paper leaks, have led to protests in several cities and disputes between rival political parties. The pleas seeking the cancellation of the exam, a re-test, and a high-level probe are listed for hearing on July 8 in the Supreme Court.

CBI Makes First Arrests in NEET-UG Paper Leak Case, Two Detained in Patna

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Blog on Education

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made the first arrests in the NEET-UG paper leak case, detaining two individuals from Patna. The arrests, which took place on Thursday, involve Manish Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar, who allegedly provided safe premises for aspirants before the examination. Here, the candidates were given leaked papers and answer keys, according to officials. The CBI has registered six FIRs related to the NEET paper leak case. The NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is an important examination for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across India. This year’s examination was held on May 5, 2024, at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for the test. The first FIR by the CBI was registered on Sunday, just a day after the Ministry of Education announced that it would hand over the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the exam’s conduct to the central agency. The demand for a CBI probe was raised by a section of protesting students. The CBI’s swift action in arresting the two individuals from Patna marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation. The agency is expected to continue its probe to identify and apprehend other culprits involved in the paper leak scandal.  

UGC-NET Exam Cancelled Amid Integrity Concerns, CBI Launches Probe

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The University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) June 2024 examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), has been cancelled due to concerns over its integrity. The decision was taken after the University Grants Commission (UGC) received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, indicating that the examination’s integrity may have been compromised. The UGC-NET examination was conducted on June 18 in two shifts across different cities in India, with over 9 lakh candidates appearing for the test. However, following the allegations of paper leaks, the Ministry of Education decided to cancel the exam to ensure transparency and maintain the sanctity of the examination process. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been handed over the case for a thorough investigation. The CBI has registered a case against unknown accused persons for compromising the integrity of the UGC-NET exam. The CBI probe aims to identify and punish those involved in the alleged malpractices. The cancellation of the UGC-NET exam has sparked controversy, with the Opposition demanding the resignation of the Education Minister and NTA officials. The Education Minister has announced the formation of a high-level committee to enhance the functioning of the NTA and ensure error-free examinations. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which aims to prevent leaks and malpractices in recruitment examinations, has come into effect from June 21. However, the UGC-NET examination will not be covered by this new law. The UGC-NET examination is crucial for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for Junior Research Fellowships and Assistant Professor positions in Indian universities and colleges. The cancellation of the exam has left many students in limbo, awaiting fresh examination dates to be announced.

NEET UG Result Row: Bihar Police Find Evidence Suggesting Paper Leak

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The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) in Bihar, investigating allegations of a leaked National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper, has found evidence suggesting that some students knew the questions before the May 5 exam, according to media reports on Sunday, June 16. What Did the Police Find? Media reports, citing EOU officials, stated that 13 individuals, including four students, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the alleged leak. Some of those arrested are also accused of receiving the question papers ahead of the test. Additional Director General of Police, EOU, N H Khan, informed the Indian Express that they had queried the National Testing Agency (NTA), which organizes NEET, and the investigation is “very much suggestive of a paper leak.” According to the Times of India, EOU Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Manavjeet Singh Dhillon mentioned that a list of the 13 people was recovered from a “safe house” on the outskirts of Patna. The police believe that approximately 30 medical aspirants were summoned by what they termed the “exam mafia” to receive questions and answers before the exam. Dhillon claimed that four of the arrested candidates confessed during interrogation that the questions they received at the “safe house” on May 4 were identical to those on the exam, according to TOI. Education Minister Denies Allegations of Paper Leak Amid media reports and nationwide protests by students, Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated on Friday, June 14, that issues were observed in six of the over 4,700 centers where the exam was conducted. He asserted that NEET was otherwise conducted satisfactorily across the country. Pradhan denied allegations of corruption within the NTA and the paper leak but added that if proven, “no one will be spared.” He assured that every aspect is being investigated, and those responsible for any lapses will be held accountable. Protests and Controversy The NEET exam, held on May 5 across 4,750 centers in India, saw participation from approximately 2.4 million candidates. The results, initially expected on June 14, were declared 10 days early as the evaluation was completed ahead of schedule. The announcement of results sparked outrage and protests due to alleged irregularities, as 67 students scored a perfect 720. Since then, students across India have been demanding a re-examination.  

NEET UG Row: Retest for 1,563 Candidates an Option; Exam Sanctity Affected, Says Top Court

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A retest for all 1,563 candidates who were awarded “grace marks” for “loss of time” in this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) is among the options being considered by the four-member committee formed last week by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This follows an uproar over the extraordinarily large number of candidates scoring well in the entrance test, with 67 securing the perfect score of 720/720. The Indian Express has learned that the committee, headed by a former UPSC chairman, in its first few meetings, has discussed offering all 1,563 candidates the option to either sit for a retest or accept the “non-normalised score,” which reflects the scores they actually achieved before the addition of grace marks. The exact composition of the committee hasn’t been disclosed by the government, but it is expected to submit its recommendation to the NTA in the next two days, sources said. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition seeking the cancellation of the exams amid allegations of leakage of the NEET-UG paper, said the exam “sanctity has been affected” and sought answers from the NTA and the Centre. However, the bench, presided over by Justice Vikram Nath, declined to stay the counselling and tagged the petition with another to be heard on July 8 by a bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud. “Let the counselling start. We are not stopping the counselling,” Justice Nath said when Senior Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, appearing for the petitioners, urged the bench to stay the counselling. Announced on June 4, the NEET-UG results drew immediate attention after 67 candidates got the perfect score of 720/720, and some candidates got 718 or 719 — marks others claimed were not possible under the exam scheme. The NTA attributed this to a combination of factors, including a relatively easier paper, the decision to award additional marks to students who lost time during the exam because of errors and delays on the part of NTA staff and invigilators, and an incorrect question. Of these three reasons, as many as 1,563 candidates, across six test centres, witnessed an artificial bump in their results due to the additional marks awarded to them in proportion to the time they lost because of mistakes made by invigilation staff. Of the six centres, two were in Chhattisgarh (one each in Balod and Dantewada), one each in Meghalaya, Surat, Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, and Chandigarh. According to video footage reviewed by the NTA, it was determined that candidates across the six centres had lost up to 40 minutes and were compensated appropriately with grace marks based on a normalisation formula from a 2018 Supreme Court judgement regarding a similar incident in CLAT. The NEET-UG paper duration is 200 minutes. The announcement of NEET-UG results was followed by an uproar, forcing the NTA and the Ministry of Education to constitute a committee to at least review the results of the 1,563 candidates. “Although this is not the final decision, many members are leaning towards the option of asking these candidates to either accept their raw score (pre-normalisation) score or sit for a retest. The majority of the 1,500 candidates scored less than 300 out of 720 marks even after normalisation. It was felt they may not come forward for the retest even if offered as an option. For the remaining numbers, it will not be too difficult to conduct the exam again,” said a source who did not wish to be identified. The Directorate General of Health Services hasn’t announced the counselling schedule yet. If the NTA finally decides to conduct a retest, it will have to consult DGHS to ensure that the results are announced before the counselling process begins. Around 24 lakh candidates took the entrance examination held on May 5 in 571 cities, 14 of which were outside India. According to the latest available data, there are a total of 1,08,940 MBBS seats in more than 700 medical colleges across the country. In the Supreme Court, a fresh writ petition, filed by a batch of students, raised doubts about the sanctity of the examination in the light of allegations of the paper leak and urged the court to cancel it and direct the NTA to hold it again. In their plea, the students said, “After having stumbled upon news of the NEET exam paper leak, they have been shaken… the Petitioners are under tremendous stress and anxiety … their family members nurtured the dream of Petitioners becoming a medical practitioner one day.” Hearing a similar plea on May 17, a CJI-led bench had declined to stay the declaration of the NEET exam results and posted the matter for hearing on July 8.