Got 3 Neet impersonation complaints: CBI

Chennai: The CBI has informed the Madras high court that it has received three complaints relating to Neet impersonation and other malpractices and the two complaints from Chennai have been referred to the Medical Council of India and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the other complaint received from Cochin, Kerala is under scrutinisation of the CBI.

K.Srinivasan made the submission when the appeal filed by S.Dheeran, an aspiring medical students, which sought to set aside an order of a single judge, dismissing his petition, challenging the selection process for the 207 seats that got reverted to the management quota owing to not getting filled up under the NRI quota, came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justices N.Kirubakaran and P.Velmurugan on Thursday.

The bench had on November 4 directed K.Srinivasan, counsel for CBI to verify as to whether CBI has got any complaint with regard to impersonation or other malpractices in the NEET examination to get admission in the medical colleges in other states.

In response to the same, Srinivasan referred to the communication received from the CBI dated November 6, 2019 and submitted that the Chennai Zone of CBI has received two complaints from Chennai and one complaint from Cochin, Kerala. As far as the two complaints received from Chennai were concerned, they have been referred to the MCI and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the complaint received from Cochin was under scrutinisation of the CBI, he added.

Recording the same, the bench said Special government pleader J.Pothiraj submitted that so far 16 students who have failed to give fingerprints to the CBCID would be giving their fingerprints before November 8 and the same will be informed to this court on the next date of hearing. Assistant solicitor general G.Karthikeyan has filed an affidavit by the Under Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The same was taken on file. He further assured that in the next hearing he will submit as to whether the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has received any complaint regarding malpractice in NEET examination, including impersonation or not, the bench added.

The bench said M.Velmurugan, counsel for the appellant submitted that the appellant has obtained 303 marks, whereas except seven students the other students who have got admission under the surrendered NRI lapsed quota to the private medical colleges have got marks lesser than the petitioner. One of the candidates who was admitted under NRI lapsed quota got 107 marks only and therefore, he submitted that there was no transparency in the admission under NRI lapsed quota and the private medical colleges have not followed the guidelines as laid down by the Supreme Court in Dar-Us-Salam Educational Trust case, while admitting the students in medical colleges. V.P.Raman, counsel appearing on behalf of MCI submitted that they will get proper instructions so that this kind of problems would not arise in future, the bench added.

The bench said it was brought to the notice of this court that the names of the candidates who were alleged to have impersonated have also been sent to Dr.M.G.R.Medical University for registration. However, Abdul Saleem, counsel appearing on behalf of the Selection Committee submitted that the names of the students who were alleged to have impersonated have been deleted from the list. The same was recorded, the bench added.

The bench said since the selection committee has sent the selected candidates for registration to Dr.M.G.R.Medical University, it was also a necessary party to this proceedings and hence this court suo motu impleads the Registrar, Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R.Medical University as party respondent to this proceedings.

D.Ravichander, counsel takes notice on behalf of the newly impleaded respondent. He assures that on the next date of hearing, he will produce the list of candidates sent by the selection committee, the bench added and posted to November 21, further hearing of the case.