Nearly a month after being arrested in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak case, Yash Yadav will now be allowed to sit for the re-examination scheduled on June 21.A Delhi court on Tuesday permitted Yadav, one of the accused in the case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to appear for the NEET-UG re-test while remaining in judicial custody. The court also allowed him to attend his sister’s wedding under custody.The Rouse Avenue Court observed that education is a fundamental right and noted that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had not objected to Yadav appearing in the examination. The agency has also issued him an admit card.
From “premature” plea to court approval
Yadav had sought 15 days of interim bail to appear for the examination and attend the family function.Just days ago, however, the court had deferred a decision on his plea, calling it premature because he had not yet been issued an admit card. The court had also sought clarification on whether the NTA would permit him to take the examination despite being an accused in the case.With the admit card now issued and no objection raised by the testing agency, the court allowed him to appear for the examination under custody instead of granting interim bail.Earlier this month, the court had also permitted Yadav to keep study material in jail after his lawyers argued that he was preparing for the June 21 examination.
What the case is about
Yadav is among 13 people arrested in connection with the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.According to the CBI, he allegedly received the leaked question paper from Shubham Khairnar, a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) student, and later passed it on to Jaipur resident Mangilal Biwal, also known as Mangilal Khatik, for Rs 10 lakh.Investigators have alleged that the paper was subsequently circulated to candidates for money. The agency has claimed that the arrangement depended on a substantial number of questions matching the actual examination paper.The allegations are part of an ongoing investigation. The accused have not been convicted, and the matter remains before the court.
Investigation continues
The development comes as the CBI continues its probe into the alleged leak network.On Monday, a Delhi court allowed the agency to question three accused, Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhanunjay Nivrutti Lokhande and Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, while they remain in jail.The court has also extended the judicial custody of several accused persons, including Yash Yadav.Meanwhile, the NEET-UG re-examination, ordered after the National Testing Agency cancelled the May 12 examination over paper leak allegations, is scheduled to be conducted on June 21.
