Madras High Court Orders Not To Disclose Identity Of Alleged NEET Impersonators

The Madras High Court has on October 16 directed not to disclose the identity of candidates named in the NEET impersonation case. A division bench, comprising justices N Kirubakaran and P Velmurugan has restrained the media from publishing photographs or revealing identities of students who are said to have impersonated and got admission. "It is only an allegation against the students and if their identities are revealed to society, they will be shamed, affecting their future," it said.

Read: NEET Twice A Year? What We Know So Far

As they are young children, their rights have to be protected and mostly the students' role is very restricted, except to act as per the directions of their parents, it added. The alleged impersonator, a first year medical student, had acted upon the directions of his father and had someone take exam impersonating him outside the state.

Nine people have been arrested so far in connection with this case. 19 suspected cases have surfaced and thumb impressions of the suspected candidates have been retrieved from the National Testing Agency, the entrance exam conducting body.

Impersonation in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), national medical entrance test for admission to MBBS courses, hit the news headlines in September. A first year medical student at the Theni Government Medical College in Tamil Nadu was booked for alleged impersonation to secure medical admission. The alleged fraud came to light after the Dean of his college received information by e-mail after which he probed the issue and alerted the police.

The bench, on October 16, noted that since the students impersonated and got admission by writing the examination outside the state, the fraud should be an all-India phenomenon and many students in various states should have got admission by impersonation.

Click here for more Education News