NEET fraud: CBI receives three complaints of malpractice, including impersonation 

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the Madras High Court on Thursday that its Chennai zone has received two complaints from Chennai and one from Kochi alleging impersonation in NEET. The complaints from Chennai had been referred to the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Union Health Ministry. The one from Kochi is under scrutiny of CBI, its counsel told a division bench of Madras High Court comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and P Velmurugan when a PIL petition from K Dheeran of Coimbatore praying for a directive to government to undertake proper counselling and mop-up procedure to fill-up 207 management quota seats available due to non-filling of NRI quota seats, came up again.

Assistant Solicitor-General G Karthikeyan filed an affidavit of Union Health Ministry, which was taken on file by the bench. He also assured that in the next hearing he will submit as to whether the Union Health Ministry had received any complaint of malpractice in NEET, including impersonation. Counsel representing various medical colleges and universities submitted that they would obtain the fingerprints of the left out students and forward the same to the authority concerned, soon.

Advocate M Velmurugan submitted that his client had obtained 303 marks, whereas, except seven students, the other students, who had got admission under the surrendered NRI lapsed quota to the private medical colleges, had got lesser marks than his client. One of the candidates who was admitted under NRI lapsed quota got only 107 marks and therefore, Velmurugan alleged there was no transparency in admission under the quota and private medical colleges had not followed guidelines as laid down by Supreme Court. MCI's senior counsel V P Raman submitted he will get proper instructions so that this kind of problem will not recur. It was also brought to the notice of the judges that the names of candidates, who were alleged to have impersonated, had also been sent to Dr M G R Medical University for registration.

However, selection panel counsel Abdul Salem told the court that the names of the students who were alleged to have impersonated had been deleted from the list. The bench recorded this. Since the selection committee has sent the selected candidates for registration to MGR Medical University, it should also be a necessary party to the proceedings, the judges said and suo motu impleaded its Registrar. The matter has been adjourned till November 21.