HC Issues Notice to Centre, Delhi Police on NEET Investigation Plea

High Court Monday issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on a plea seeking a court-monitored CBI/SIT probe into alleged illegalities in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) held in 2016 for admitting students in postgraduate medical courses.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also issued notice to the National Board of Examination (NBE), Medical Council of India, Prometrics Private Ltd and the CBI on a plea that sought to hand over the case to the probe agency. The court will take up the matter on September 10.

Prometrics had sub-contracted CMS IT Services Private Ltd to hire engineers, site supervisors and other staff to prepare exam labs for conducting NEET PG examination at 43 centres across the country.

In the plea filed by Dr Anand Rai, it was alleged Delhi Police had “not interrogated the candidates who have been named as beneficiaries as well as officers of M/s Prometrics and the National Board of Examinations”.

“In fact, even statements and evidence mentioned in the chargesheet have not been filed with the chargesheet in court. Such conduct in such a serious matter brings apprehensions of subversion of the course of justice whether with or without intent. Under these circumstances, court monitoring of such an investigation, preferably by a specially appointed SIT, becomes essential,” the plea states.

Seeking a court-monitored probe, the plea states that the Delhi Police chargesheet “falls short of explaining or investigating into the alleged tampering of the computer systems”. “The Respondent No. 7 (Delhi Police) has not seized any of the computer systems used in the conduct NEET-PG, 2017 much less having the same forensically examined,” the plea states.

The plea also points out that one Rameshwar Mishra, who was interrogated by the police and mentioned as “the main conspirator”, has not been made an accused or a witness in the case.

Respected Source – IndianExpress