Modi seeks HRD report in medical, dental test leak case

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the HRD Ministry to give a report on the All India Pre Medical and Dental Test (AIPMT) answer key leak case.

The PMO sent a letter to the Ministry seeking details of the case on May 18 based on a complaint on irregularities in the test, sources said.

The central board of secondary education (CBSE) conducted the nationwide test on May 3. The case came to light the next day when Haryana police reported arrest of four persons and recovered answer keys from them.

The CBSE categorically rejected the claims, declaring that the AIPMT was conducted in a “smooth and fair” manner keeping the sanctity of the exams in tact. “On careful study of the press reports, it appears that the issue pertains to the use of unfair means and attempt to cheat by certain unscrupulous elements after the commencement of the paper,” it said.

Meanwhile, parents of several candidates who appeared for the exams moved the Supreme Court on May 18, asking the apex court to cancel the tests, following which the court sought responses of the central government, the CBSE, Medical Council of India and Haryana government. 

On Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to cancel the tests, but the vacation bench of Justices A K Sikri and U U Lalit asked the Haryana police to identify the culprits and file a progress report on their probe by May 26. 

Since the persons involved were spread across many states, the court asked telecom service providers and law enforcement agencies of the states concerned to cooperate in the probe.