The Supreme Court, during a hearing on the alleged NEET-UG exam paper leaks, directed the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) to submit its report by 5 PM on Saturday.
This report includes data collected before the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case last month. So far, 34 individuals have been arrested by the Bihar Police, EOU, and CBI, linked to an organized gang in Patna accused of leaking exam papers.
Senior counsel Narender Hooda, representing some petitioners, argued that the leak was extensive and occurred during the transport of question papers to Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta refuted these claims, asserting that a “7-layer safety system” is in place and that the CBI had thoroughly investigated “the entire chain – from the printers to the center.”
What Economic Offences Unit (EOU) Says?
A press release by the EOU dated June 23, before the case was transferred to the CBI, highlighted “burnt question papers” discovered at a Patna school that matched those at a Hazaribagh exam center. The release also suggested potential “tampering” with the packaging of question papers. “Code on burnt question papers from Patna matches Hazaribagh school.”
An FIR was lodged at Shastri Nagar police station in Patna on May 5, the day of the NEET-UG exam, alleging a paper leak. The FIR indicated that an organized gang shared the question paper and answer key with several students the night before the exam. One gang member, Sikander Yadvendu, a junior engineer at Danapur municipal committee, confessed that multiple students in Patna received the leaked papers. These candidates were taken to Learn Boys Hostel and Play School to memorize the answers the night before the exam, for which the gang charged Rs. 30-50 lakh each.
Burnt question paper remains were found at the school and matched the original ones sent by the National Testing Agency upon preliminary investigation. The serial code on the burnt papers was traced to Oasis School in Hazaribagh, a CBSE-affiliated school and NTA exam center. The EOU’s preliminary investigation found evidence of tampering with the polybags and packaging of the question papers.
The EOU stated they were investigating to identify the breach’s exact time and level. In its response to the Supreme Court on July 10, the NTA detailed the question papers’ transportation in sealed iron trunks with mechanical and GPS-enabled digital locks. These were delivered to SBI bank in Hazaribagh on May 3 and stored in the bank’s safety vault. However, the EOU’s June 23 press note indicated non-compliance with prescribed security protocols during transportation, storage, and handover, allowing tampering to go undetected.
The EOU team observed that one envelope containing question papers was improperly opened, not at the designated end as trained exam staff are instructed. Oasis School Principal Ahsanul Haque denied any possibility of a leak at the school, stating the papers were received on May 5 and the envelopes opened 15 minutes before the exam. Haque suggested the precise and sophisticated cut on the envelope indicated potential negligence by the bank and courier company.
What’s There In Court’s Hearing?
During the hearing, Hooda revealed that the trunk carrying question papers was seen on an e-rickshaw in Hazaribagh on May 3. The CBI arrested Oasis School Principal Haque and Vice Principal Imtiaz Alam, questioning the e-rickshaw driver and a courier company employee. Earlier, the CBI arrested Pankaj Kumar from Patna, a key accused in stealing the NEET question paper from the trunk in Hazaribagh, who is now in judicial custody until July 30.
Additionally, the CBI arrested four AIIMS Patna students for allegedly helping solve the leaked paper, appointed by Rakesh Ranjan, alias Rocky, an aide to Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged ‘kingpin.’ While Ranjan was arrested earlier, Mukhiya remains at large.
The Supreme Court has directed the NTA to publish the marks obtained by students, city-wise and center-wise, without disclosing their identities by noon on Saturday to identify malpractices in the exam. The court will next hear the matter on Monday, July 22.
