Special Court Rejects Anticipatory Bail Application of Accused in NEET Marks Manipulation Scam

Strategic Insights -

A special court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Neeraj Kumar, an accused allegedly involved in a scheme to manipulate NEET marks for admission in government colleges. The court considered the gravity of the crime and the potential impact on students, whose careers are at stake. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR claiming to have cracked the case, involving the manipulation of marks for a hefty sum of Rs 90 lakh per candidate.

Key Takeaways:

  • The special court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Neeraj Kumar, citing prima facie evidence of his active involvement in dealing with students.
  • The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) suspects Kumar's role in taking students to a room to sign fraudulent answer sheets, which would be exchanged with their original answer sheets.
  • The CBI claims to have cracked a case where gullible parents of NEET aspirants were lured to enhance the marks of their wards for admissions in government colleges.
  • Kumar allegedly met with children and their parents at a five-star hotel in Noida and demanded a sum of Rs 90 lakh from each candidate to influence public servants to manipulate their marks.
  • The special judge, V P Desai, ruled that Kumar's custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth various aspects of the crime and to reveal his connection with the prime accused, Rajeev Sinha.
  • Kumar had argued that two other accused arrested earlier were granted bail and that he had cooperated with the police, so his custody was not required.
  • The court stated that a huge amount is involved in the matter, and only by way of custodial interrogation, Kumar will reveal the details of the crime.

Statistics:

  • Rs 90 lakh was allegedly demanded from each candidate to influence public servants to manipulate their NEET marks
  • The case has ramifications across many states among NEET aspirants

Sources:

  • A special court order, passed on July 5, made available on Tuesday.
  • The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR, filed last month, claiming to have cracked the NEET marks manipulation scam.