NEET UG Exam and UGC NET June 2024 Live Updates: 'Probe into alleged irregularities in NEET-UG handed over to CBI for comprehensive investigation,' says education ministry

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the postponement of the NEET-PG entrance exam is "another unfortunate example that the education system has been ruined." The decision to delay the exam, originally scheduled for June 23, as a precautionary measure following recent allegations questioning the integrity of certain competitive exams.

Gandhi expressed his views on 'X' in Hindi, emphasizing that under Modi's leadership, students are compelled to challenge the government to protect their future instead of focusing on their studies and building their careers. He asserted that it has become evident that Modi, who previously remained silent during such incidents, is now utterly powerless in the face of the paper leak racket and the education mafia.

The former Congress chief further declared, "Narendra Modi's incompetent government is the biggest threat to the future of students. We have to save the future of the country from it." Gandhi's strong words underscore his belief that the current administration's handling of the education sector poses a significant risk to the prospects of the nation's youth.

The Central govt on Saturday night said that it has decided to transfer the investigation of alleged malpractices in the NEET medical entrance exam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe. This decision was made amidst a series of actions taken regarding irregularities in competitive exams, including the removal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and the formation of a seven-member committee led by former Isro chief K Radhakrishnan to implement exam reforms.

A senior education ministry official said, "Certain cases of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation and malpractices have been reported in NEET-UG which was conducted on May 5.

"For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, it was decided after a review that the matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation."

The official emphasised the government's dedication to maintaining the integrity of examinations and safeguarding the interests of students. They also warned that any individuals or organizations found to be involved in irregularities will face severe consequences.

The NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centers, with approximately 24 lakh candidates participating. Although the results were initially expected to be announced on June 14, they were released earlier on June 4.

The allegations of irregularities have sparked protests in various cities, legal actions, and political debates between opposing parties. A new petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court, requesting the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the alleged malpractices in the NEET-UG exam.

Central govt on Saturday removed NTA director general Subodh Kumar Singh from his post and put him on "compulsory wait" in DoPT amid recent irregularities in exams including Neet and UCG-NET.

Meanwhile, Pradeep Singh Kharola has been given additional charge of the post of Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA) by the ministry.

Delhi Police lodged an FIR at South Avenue police station against seventeen including two female workers of NSUI for protesting near Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on the NEET issue.

On Thursday, NSUI workers staged a protest outside Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's residence by throwing fake currency notes during the protest.

A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the CBI and the ED to investigate alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5. The petition, filed by 10 students who had appeared for the exam, has also sought a direction to Bihar Police to expedite the investigation in the case and file a report before the apex court.

"The petitioners are fully aware of the ramifications of the cancellation of the examination but there is absolutely no other alternative.

"The NEET UG Examination of 2024 had many other irregularities, in particular, the gross negligence on the part of the authorities to make the question papers available to the candidates on time. In some places, the wrong set of question papers was distributed and later recalled," the plea said.

Tejashwi Yadav, RJD member, strongly criticized the BJP government regarding the irregularities surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam. He pointed out a pattern: "Wherever there is BJP government, paper leaks are happening there." Yadav urged the investigation agencies to thoroughly examine the role of Sanjeev Mukhiya, who is believed to be connected to Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, both of whom have been apprehended in relation to the NEET issue.

Yadav emphasized the importance of an impartial investigation, suggesting that failure to do so might compel him to disclose photographs of Sanjeev Mukhiya with politicians. He stated, "Otherwise, we will have to reveal the pictures of Sanjeev Mukhiya with the politicians that we have with us. So, it is better that the probe agencies probe this impartially. This is not going to be hidden."

The RJD leader also issued a stern warning to those involved in the paper leak and cheating, asserting that they would not be spared. He declared, "Those who leaked the paper won't be spared. Those who cheated will not be spared... We will not leave them." Yadav's statements underscore the gravity of the situation and the need for a thorough and unbiased investigation into the irregularities surrounding the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

Six individuals were apprehended by the Bihar Police from a residence in the vicinity of AIIMS-Deoghar, located in Jharkhand's Deoghar district, on Friday night. The detentions were made in relation to alleged malpractices in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), a medical entrance examination.


Ritvik Srivastava, the SDPO of Deoghar Sadar, informed PTI that the Bihar Police had provided them with information about the suspects. Upon identification, the individuals were taken into custody and subsequently transported to Bihar for further investigation.


The suspects were reportedly residing at the house of an individual named Jhunu Singh at the time of their apprehension. The Bihar Police are currently conducting further inquiries into the alleged irregularities surrounding the NEET exam.

As the central government is struggling to find a solution after several paper leaks were reported, leading to the court case of NEET examiners and NET paper cancellation, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule on Saturday termed it a "complete failure" of the government of India."It is a complete failure of the government of India because, with so much technology, I can't seem to understand why there are so many glitches every time there's a competitive exam. Students and parents work very hard to cross this big milestone of their lives. If they are going to get cheated like this, it's very unfortunate, and the government has failed us," Sule told ANI.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari alleged that the BJP was behind the paper leaks.

"No matter how many laws PM Modi makes against paper leak, no matter how many speeches he gives but wherever the paper is leaked, there is a college associated with BJP, ABVP workers, professors and vice-chancellors linked with ABVP come forward. Wherever incidents of paper leak happen, whether it is UPSC, MPPSC, NEET or UGC-NET, everywhere people influenced by RSS and BJP are sitting as their workers and the paper is leaked from there," Patwari said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also attacked the BJP-led government over the controversies in recent examinations, and asked education minister Dharmendra Pradhan about what happened to his assurance of taking action against the guilty of "paper leaks".

"This is the third exam that NTA has postponed...The Education Minister said that he has taken responsibility, and whoever is found guilty, the strictest action will be taken against them. What happened to that claim?" Chaturvedi said in a video.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned an individual in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh regarding the UGC-NET paper leak case, according to officials. The suspect, who allegedly shared a section of the paper on the messaging app Telegram, was brought to Padrauna Kotwali in the district for questioning by the CBI's anti-corruption branch team.


Sources suggest that the suspect had received coaching for the examination in Kota, Rajasthan.Following a reference from the Union education ministry, the CBI filed an FIR on Thursday against unidentified individuals in connection with the UGC-NET paper leak case.


"The UGC-NET-2024 exam for the selection of junior research fellows, assistant professors and PhD scholars was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 18 in two shifts across the country."

he Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit, which is probing the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case, on Saturday claimed to have obtained reference question papers of the test conducted by NTA and planned to compare these with documents recovered from a flat in Patna during a search operation last month. The EOU is also exploring the "possibility of conducting narco analysis and brain mapping tests" of some arrested accused in the case, state police sources said.

They also indicated that the Enforcement Directorate might investigate the money laundering aspect of the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination -the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET, conducted by the National Testing Agency in May.

"We had requested the NTA for the reference question papers after we began the probe last month. Finally, they did the needful. We will tally these papers with partially burnt papers seized from a Patna flat last month. This exercise is likely to be done before a forensic examination of such documents," an EOU source said.

Former Isro chairman and chairman BoG, IIT Kanpur, Dr K Radhakrishnan will head the High-Level Committee of Experts to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations.

Ministry of education constitutes a High-Level Committee of Experts to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations. Committee to make recommendations on Reform in the mechanism of the examination process, improvement in Data Security protocols and structure and functioning of NTA. Committee to submit its report to the Ministry within 2 months: Ministry of education

The Centre's decision now to implement a law to prevent the use of unfair means in competitive examinations after several "scams" have taken place, including in the NEET-UG and the UGC-NET tests, is "damage control", Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed on Saturday. This law was needed but it deals with question paper leaks and other irregularities after they have occurred, he claimed in a post on X.

Several opposition political parties and student associations, including the Congress, have held protests across the country over alleged irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG and the UGC-NET.

Amid the raging row over the issue, the Centre on Friday operationalised the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

The Bill received the President's assent on February 13, but was enforced only on Friday, Ramesh, the Congress' general secretary communications, said.

Amid the ongoing investigation into the NEET paper leak case by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police, its Additional Director General (ADG) Nayyar Hasnain Khan will give probe details to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Delhi on Saturday.

ADG Khan will be reaching the national capital where he will present the probe status report to the Union Education Minister.

On Thursday, the Union Education Ministry summoned Nayyar Hasnain Khan to report on the development of the case.

The EOU of the Bihar Police is investigating the NEET question paper leak case in the state and has arrested 14 accused, including one of the masterminds Sikandar Yadvendu. The arrested also includes four candidates and three parents

“NDA is taking strict actions and is complying with the Supreme Court’s order,” says RLD leader Malook Nagar on NEET and UGC-NET exam row.

Bihar TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) has been postponed. The revised dates for exam would be announced later. The exam was scheduled to be held between June 26 and June 28.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday launched a scathing attack on the government over exam paper leaks, saying the issue has become a national problem under the BJP rule which has "ruined the future" of crores of youth. The Congress general secretary's attack comes amid outcry against alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination NEET and also the cancellation of the UGC-NET examination on Wednesday a day after it was held, citing compromised integrity of the test.
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said the Congress demands that strict action be taken over the "NEET scam" so that 24 lakh students get justice.

In another post in Hindi on X, she wrote, "In the last five years, papers of 43 recruitment exams have been leaked in the country. Paper leak has become a national problem of our country under BJP rule which has ruined the future of crores of youth so far."

"India is the youngest country in the world. We have the largest youth population. Instead of making these youth skilled and capable, the BJP government is making them weak," she alleged.

On NEET UG and UGC NET exam issue, President JNUSU, Dhananjay said, "NTA should be dissolved. The dreams of students are at stake."

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which aims to combat paper leaks and other malpractices in central recruitment and entrance examinations for central educational institutions, became effective on Friday. The enactment of this law coincides with the ongoing controversies surrounding the NEET-UG results and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam due to a paper leak.

An anonymous whistleblower's seemingly vague tip-off to Patna police about "four suspected criminals in an SUV headed to a safe house" around three hours before NEET-UG got under way on May 5 was the starting point for the unravelling of a suspected nationwide network of fraud that has plunged the medical entrance test into controversy, and lakhs of aspirants into uncertainty.

A team from Patna's Shastri Nagar police station promptly intercepted the four suspects, who then led them to what turned out to be a meeting place for around 30 NEET-UG candidates who had allegedly paid Rs 30-50 lakh for leaked questions and answers. The group had apparently assembled at the designated location in Ram Krishna Nagar, on the city's outskirts, the previous day to memorise answers, police said.

Sleuths say they have since gathered dozens of names of medical aspirants and their "handlers". "It's a deep-rooted network spread across states. We will need time to rein in all the culprits," a top source in Economic Offences Unit said.

Members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) on Friday protested in Jaipur over NEET and UGC-NET issues. While speaking to the media Rajasthan NSUI President Vinod Jakhar demanded strict action against those responsible for NEET, UGC-NET 'irregularities.'

Amid the continuing controversy around exams conducted by the NTA, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Friday wrote to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan raising concerns over the NEET and UGC-NET exams and alleging saffronisation of education under the BJP-led government. In his letter to Pradhan, CPI(M) MP Brittas urged him to discontinue the centralised NEET, limiting its scope to central medical institutions like AIIMS, PGIMER and JIPMER. He also called for a comprehensive review of NET to restore the autonomy of the universities and uphold the academic standards and transparency.

The Odisha unit of the Congress on Friday staged a protest in Bhubaneswar over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024 examination and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for failing to prevent the question paper leak. Led by state Congress president Sarat Pattanayak, a protest march was taken out from Congress Bhawan to Master Canteen Square here.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest against the National Testing Agency (NTA) at Osmania University in Hyderabad on Friday over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam. During the protest, the students burnt an effigy of the NTA. The protest was sparked by a series of recent irregularities and paper leaks in exams conducted by the NTA.

The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the Congress on Friday staged a demonstration over alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024 examination. Congress workers led by Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC) president Tarh Johny staged a protest outside Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan here demanding action against those responsible for the irregularities.

The youth wings of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Congress on Friday hit the streets of West Bengal to protest against the “irregularities” in both the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams. Youth Congress activists staged the protests in central Kolkata's Moulali area where Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Choudhury was present.

As the Congress targets the BJP-led government at the Centre over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examinations, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said it is not an isolated case and there have been several cases in the past. Hooda alleged that the BJP government is playing with the future of youth. Be it NEET or UGC NET at the national level, or a series of recruitment scams happening in Haryana, there are several examples of such misdeeds which have been exposed at the national and state level, Hooda said, while addressing a programme of the party workers in Sonipat, according to a statement.

The NEET-UG retest for 1,563 candidates will be held on Sunday with National Testing Agency and Union education ministry officials present at the examination centres, a senior NTA official said on Friday. The retest for the medical entrance exam is being conducted after the agency withdrew grace marks awarded to students who were compensated for loss of time due to delay in start of examination at six centres in Meghalaya, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Chandigarh.

Karnataka Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Friday termed the NEET-UG 2024 exam a "massive scam" of the Modi government and demanded that the Centre order a CBI probe. He said that more and more irregularities in the NEET exam are being exposed and blamed the Centre's failures for the current mess.

The Samajwadi Party's students' wing on Friday held a protest over the alleged irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG, claiming that the test was rigged and its question paper leaked. Members of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha (SCS) also submitted a memorandum to authorities addressed to the President at the Bapu Bhavan intersection in Lucknow.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday hit out at BJP-led Centre over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination and said an independent inquiry should be conducted into it under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. Baghel, a senior Congress leader, was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the party's agitation here at the Rajiv Gandhi Chowk as part of its nationwide protest against alleged irregularities in the NEET exam. He said over the past one decade, question papers of 70 exams have been leaked, and termed the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre as 'paper leak government'.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday postponed the Joint Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) University Grant Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET). The CSIR-UGC-NET examination of June 2024 was originally slated to take place from June 25 to 27.

The Goa Congress on Friday held a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji against the Union government over alleged irregularities in NEET. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was held on May 5 and some 24 lakh candidates appeared for it, but allegations of paper leaks emerged from states like Bihar after results were declared on June 4.

The Tripura unit of the Congress on Friday staged a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in NEET and UGC-NET. Hundreds of party workers staged a protest in front of Congress Bhavan here and burnt an effigy of Pradhan, holding him accountable for the paper leaks.

Delhi Congress workers on Friday held a demonstration near the BJP headquarters here over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examinations. The demonstration was led by Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav. The party was protesting peacefully for the interest of the youth, and will not rest till lakhs of students who appeared for the NEET-UG exams get justice, Yadav said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav broke his silence on the alleged NEET paper leak case after Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha sought to draw a link between Yadav's personal secretary and an accused engineer. He said that the BJP wanted to "divert the attention" from the kingpin so they were dragging his name.

Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah claimed on Friday that states ruled by the BJP and its allies have become the "nerve centre" of question paper leaks, and the case of NEET-UG is the latest example of that. Borah made the allegation while leading a demonstration against the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination this year.

He also called for the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. "If he is taking moral responsibility, we have heard in politics that people who take moral responsibility resign from their posts. But he is doing nothing of that sort... It is clear that papers are being leaked, they are being sold. This is a kind of commercialisation that is happening," Yechury told ANI. "Crores of our students are suffering because of this. They are the future of India. And this government is completely responsible... National Testing Agency should be scrapped...," Yechury added.

Corruption plagues every appointment in the BJP-led regime, alleged senior leader Digvijaya Singh who along with state Congress chief Jitu Patwari led the protest in the Roshanpura square. National Testing Agency (NTA) chief Pradeep Kumar Joshi cancelled UGC-NET but he lied at every step in the case of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) where the future of lakhs of students is in danger, Singh alleged. "Under BJP's rule, there is corruption in every official's appointment," the former chief minister claimed. The government was playing with the future of lakhs of students, Singh and Patwari said.

Amidst irregularities surrounding the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate 2024 (NEET-UG), Motha Rohit, President of the Hyderabad Youth Congress, organised a protest at the residence of Union Minister Kishan Reddy in Hyderabad today and demanded the cancellation of the exam.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray sought transparency in the recently conducted Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) engineering exams in the state, and demanded that the marks of the students be disclosed and answer sheets be given to them. Addressing a press conference here, he said the CET was held in a "weird" way and examinations for two papers were held in 30 batches. Of this, one paper was held in 24 batches. "We demand that the answer sheets be shown to the students and the marks be disclosed to them. Toppers should also be announced in this case," he said. Referring to the allegations of irregularities in the NEET and cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the governments at the Centre as well as the state have decided to "destroy" the future of students. The MH-CET is conducted by the Maharashtra government. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the admission process for Professional courses such as engineering, management, pharmacy, agriculture, law, medical, AYUSH and fine arts. There were 54 mistakes in the papers and students raised 1,425 objections, Thackeray claimed and added that in one paper, which had multiple select questions, all four options of answer were wrong. The students' results were declared in the form of percentile, the former minister said. "Since one paper was conducted in 24 batches, there were instances that some papers were difficult, while others were easy. Those who secured less marks have got more percentile and the ones securing more marks have got less percentile," he said. How can papers be set in such a way and why has the chief of the agency that conducts the exam not been suspended so far, Thackeray asked. He said the percentile was formulated in the wrong way.

Taking part in a protest organised here by her party over the issue, she also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's `silence' on the students' plight. "Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign on moral grounds," said Gaikwad, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mumbai North Central constituency in the recently held elections. "Prime minister Modi has not uttered a word about the hardship faced by students due to the irregularities that have come to light," she said, while also adding that education should not be politicised and students should get justice.

The AISA unit of the Delhi University claimed that the minister did not attend the event at the North Campus because of the protest. "In response to the sheer audacity of Pradhan to even think of coming to DU while he and his NTA have jeopardised the future of students, AISA activists along with students of Delhi University raised black flags and protested against his presence in the university," the association said in a statement.