The Central Bureau of Investigation filed an FIR on Sunday in connection with the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5 on a reference from the Union education ministry, amid countrywide protests and litigation by students for a probe into paper leak claims.
The ministry, in its complaint to the probe agency, stated that "certain isolated incidents" occurred in a few states during the conduct of the examination.
Bihar and Gujarat governments also issued notifications on Sunday to transfer cases of NEET-UG paper leaks registered by their police to the CBI, paving the way for the central agency to take over the probe.
Additional Chief Secretary of Gujarat A K Rakesh issued the notification handing over the case registered at the Godhra Taluka police station on May 8 under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust among others to CBI.
The home department of Bihar also issued a notification, transferring the paper leak case registered at Shastri Nagar police station in Patna to the federal probe agency.
The Economic Offences Unit of Bihar Police arrested five more suspects on Sunday, taking the total number of those apprehended in connection with the paper leak case to 18.
The CBI is likely to re-register the cases referred by Bihar and Gujarat governments as its own FIRs in addition to its FIR registered on Sunday, officials said.
Giving top priority to the case, the CBI has sent special teams to Godhra and Patna, where cases of question paper leaks have been registered by police, they said.
The police in both states will hand over all documents related to the case to the visiting CBI teams, the officials said.
The CBI FIR came a day after the ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the central agency, a demand raised by a section of protesting students.
"The ministry of education has requested the CBI to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the entire gamut of alleged irregularities, including conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, breach of trust and destruction of evidence by candidates, institutes and middlemen," a CBI spokesperson said.
The role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination and also into the entire gamut of events and the larger conspiracy will also be under the scanner, according to officials.
They said the agency registered a fresh case against unidentified persons under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) among others.
"Certain cases of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation and malpractice have been reported in NEET-UG which was conducted on May 5," a senior education ministry official said on Saturday.
"For transparency in the conduct of the examination process, it was decided after a review that the matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive investigation," the official had said.
The allegations of irregularities sparked protests in several cities, litigation and a political slugfest, with the opposition accusing the government of toying with the future of students.
Ten aspirants have approached the Supreme Court, seeking directions to the CBI and the ED to investigate the alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG. The petition has also sought a direction to the Bihar Police to expedite the probe into the case and file a report before the apex court.
In a separate matter, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Center, National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on various petitions, including those seeking cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored investigation.
The apex court also halted proceedings on similar petitions in various high courts.
The examination was conducted by NTA on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the test.
As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities.
There was also a controversy over grace marks awarded to students to make up for the loss of time at six centres. The Centre later told the apex court that the grace marks were being scrapped and 1,563 students who got the marks would be given an option of a retest.
The retest was conducted on Sunday and around 52 per cent -- 813 out of 1,563 candidates -- appeared for it.
NEET-UG examination is conducted by NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
Facing flak over alleged discrepancies in competitive exams, the Centre on Saturday shunted out NTA Director General Subodh Singh and set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms.
The Supreme Court also halted proceedings on similar petitions in various high courts.
The examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates took the test.
As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities.
There was also a controversy over grace marks awarded to students to make up for the loss of time at six centres. The Centre later told the apex court that the grace marks were being scrapped and these 1,563 students would be given an option of a retest.
The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
Facing flak over alleged discrepancies in competitive exams, the Centre on Saturday shunted out NTA Director General Subodh Singh and 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.
