NEET 'paper leak': Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha draws link to Tejashwi Yadav, seeks clarification

Patna: As the row over NEET-UG exams continues to intensify, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha has drawn a link between Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary and an accused in the alleged paper leak case, and sought clarification from the RJD leader.

Sinha claimed that Tejashwi's personal secretary, Pritam Kumar called a guest house worker of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu, one of the accused of the NEET question paper "leak."

He said that the word "Mantri" was used for the former Deputy CM.

"On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu who was jailed in Ranchi. On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again to book the room in the NHAI guest house. The word 'Mantri' was used for Tejashwi Yadav," Sinha said at a press conference on Thursday.

The Deputy CM sought clarification from Tejashwi Yadav regarding whether Pritam Kumar is still his Personal Secretary and who is Sikander Yadavendu.

"Tejashwi Yadav should clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his PS and he should also clarify who is Sikander Kumar Yadavendu. When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadavendu used to be at Lalu's service. He was a Junior Engineer in the irrigation department. They play with the future of the people. They do scams when they are in power and they try to influence the appointment process," Sinha said.

Meanwhile, the guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar reacted to the allegations.

"Pritam called me and asked me to book a room for Sikander Kumar on May 1 and then again on May 4. I asked for a requisition, on which he said that it would be given by them," Kumar said.

Notably, Patna police has arrested several people including some candidates who had taken the NEET exam.

Out of them, four have been identified as- Anurag Yadav, a NEET candidate, his uncle Sikandar Yadavendu, and two others - Nitish Kumar and Anand.

Patna Police has obtained confessional statements of all the four accused in the NEET exam question paper leak case -Anurag Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand and Sikandar Yadavendu.

The confessions were taken under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Earlier, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice on a plea filed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) seeking the transfer of petitions relating to the NEET-UG, 2024 examination from the High Court to the apex court.

A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath has also stayed proceedings before different High Courts.

The apex court reiterated that it would not stop the counseling process.

Supreme Court has also issued a notice to the Centre and NTA on a petition filed by some students who appeared in the Meghalaya centre for the NEET-UG exam and allegedly lost 45 minutes and prayed they should be a part of the 1563 students who got grace marks and were given the option to appear for re-exam on June 23.

The Supreme Court has posted the pleas for hearing on July 8.

The NEET-UG 2024 exam was conducted on May 5 and its results were declared on June 4, ahead of its scheduled announcement date of June 14. Protests were held alleging irregularities and paper leaks as the results showed that as many as 67 students had topped the exam with a perfect score of 720.

Petitions have been filed in courts by students seeking a re-test. The Supreme Court has allowed a re-test of over 1,500 students who were awarded "grace marks."

The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), paves the way for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1563 candidates who were awarded "grace marks" in the NEET-UG 2024 exam would be cancelled and these candidates would have the option to reappear for the exam on June 23, the results of which will be declared before June 30, or forgo the compensatory marks given for the loss of time.

On Tuesday, the apex court emphasized that any negligence, even as small as 0.001 per cent, in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination would be addressed thoroughly.

A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti told advocates representing the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) that any such negligence must be dealt with seriously.