"Flip flops are anathema to fairness."
This was stated by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, who made this remark while delivering the judgement on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 paper leak row, while addressing the National Testing Agency (NTA), on August 2.
This year, we witnessed a tumultuous chain of events that pointed towards the failure of an agency and toppled the essence of what "fairness" and "justice" means to lakhs of students all over the country.
With hope and firm resolve, a group of NEET-UG aspirants have united via several social media forums, and continue to uncover inconsistencies buried within not just one, but multiple layers of the NEET muddle.
The group of students has also earned the backing of activists, educational influencers, academicians, and doctors, who are contributing with their expertise to assist these youngsters.
"Although the verdict stated that there was no major breach, what it failed to take into account is that the paper leak racket is not orchestrated by a group contained within a certain demography, it is widespread," an aspirant, who is also a member of the group, told EdexLive.
The student, who wanted to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, shared that the group is still unearthing several inconsistencies within the drama that had unfolded after the NEET-UG 2024 exam was conducted on May 5.
'Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum'
French philosopher René Descartes' phrase "I doubt, I think, therefore I am" perfectly reflects the mindset of these students, who have painstakingly gathered evidence by questioning and analysing details from the day of the incident to the present day.
Frantically analysing court verdicts, petitions, newspaper articles, court rulings, and fragments of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation reports they could find online, these youngsters hold on to the hope of challenging a system that has let them down.
One of the students, Muralitharan, told EdexLive that the questions surrounding the incident seem endless. As a NEET-UG aspirant, he has been raising these questions on the social media platform X, and one such thread highlights few of his valid concerns.
"Why is there a number game"?
The order of the Supreme Court's judgement released on August 2 said that based on the evidence submitted, conducting a re-test was not warranted. Further, based on the status reports filed by the CBI, about 155 students from the examination centres in Hazaribagh (around 125) and Patna (30) were found to be the beneficiaries of the fraud.
Here is the point of contention.
Dated October 7, a press release of the third chargesheet filed by the CBI in the NEET paper theft case in Patna mentioned that it "has also identified 144 candidates present in these locations who were beneficiaries of this paper leak..."
Upon close examination, the number of candidates implicated in the leak shifted from 155 to 144 in two separate CBI reports. Muralitharan questions whether these 144 candidates were newly identified, and if not, why there is a discrepancy in the numbers.
"Why is there a number game being played here? It may not seem consequential, but official reports not being accurate may raise doubts on the authenticity of the nature of the investigation," asserted the aspirant.
Leak not contained to Bihar and Jharkhand
After round 1 of the NEET-UG counselling, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) released a notice stating that 43 candidates had been debarred, and a second list of provisional results was released.
The aspirant questions why these candidates were debarred, and on what basis.
In another instance, the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination Committee (OJEEC) debarred candidates on August 25, just a day after the MCC notice was issued. However, no reason was provided.
The students suspect this may be linked to a large-scale NEET paper leak originating from not only Bihar and Jharkhand but Odisha as well. This speculation follows the arrest of key suspect Sushant Samanta in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on August 3 by the CBI, in connection with the leak.
Should the NTA be dissolved?
A "premier, specialist, self-sustained, autonomous" institution established in 2017, the NTA had left no stone unturned to prove its innocence, but sorely failed.
According to a press release dated June 6, 2024, it states — "On the analysis of CCTV footage, it was ascertained that the integrity of the examination was not compromised at these centres."
Later, the CBI found out through one such CCTV footage that a paper leak had occurred on the day of the examination between 8.02 am and 9.23 am.
The apex court had instructed the Radhakrishnan Committee, which was established on June 22 to provide recommendations on reforms to the examination process, improvements to data security, and enhancements to the structure and functioning of the NTA, that a report be submitted by September 30, 2024.
The court further instructed the Ministry of Education (MoE) to act on the recommendations within a month, after which the government was required to submit a compliance report.
While a few changes may be initiated by the end of this month, will these ensure improved efficiency in the NTA's functioning in the future?
Paper leak from printing press?
These students further allege that the NTA had grossly ignored the report by the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU), submitted to the Union Government on June 22.
"As per our sources, the NTA failed to cooperate with the Bihar EOU, despite sending multiple request letters," informed the NEET UG aspirant.
Although the report is not publicly accessible, the students claim to have spoken with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Bihar EOU, Sumant Kumar Sharma, who suggested that the leak may have originated from the printing press itself. Subsequently, the Bihar Police arrested Kaushik Kar, owner of Caltex Multiventure, a company in the publishing sector.
It is to be noted that the government outsources the printing of question papers to unverified sources, involving a third-party intervention in the procedure.
The process of outsourcing and NTA's negligence in not having stringent procedures and checks in place was severely criticised by the CJI as well during the hearing.
The reign of the gangs
The report submitted by Bihar's EOU indicated the involvement of an inter-state gang linked to Jharkhand, working in collaboration with Bihar’s solver gang.
Although the CBI had detained culprits involved in the leak at Oasis School in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, initially five members of a suspected "solver gang" based in Nalanda's Bihar were detained by the EOU.
Their alleged mastermind, Sanjeev Mukhiya, had spread it across cities like Patna, and Danapur in Bihar.
It is known that Sanjeev Mukhiya's gang operated not only in states such as Jharkhand or Bihar but also in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and other states.
As per sources, Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, is politically well-connected, as his wife Mamata Devi has been the head of the Bhuthakar Panchayat in Nalanda, and is associated with the Janata Dal (United) for over a decade.
Mukhiya, after receiving an anticipatory bail from Patna High Court on June 4, has been absconding.
Fight for the students and by the students
These teenage aspirants, their unwavering determination and enthusiasm to scrutinise and examine the details of the case inspire a sense of righteousness, especially when the education system is seemingly crumbling.
"There are so many loopholes reported in the case. There were absolutely no attempts to dig deeper into it, and now our future is at stake. We are aware of our abilities, we deserve a better future, and an opportunity to follow our passions. Shouldn't we be given a fair chance?"
A review petition titled "Kajal Kumari vs The National Testing Agency" was submitted to the court on August 31, 2024, has been listed in the court and will be heard on October 21.
While it may be too late for the students to overturn previous rulings, they are determined to ensure that such errors do not occur again.
