Archive for month: July, 2024

New Delhi: While considering a plea alleging the involvement of the National Testing Agency (NTA) officers in the manipulation of the OMR sheets of the NEET-UG exam, the Supreme Court today i.e. on July 1st clarified that a re-test cannot be held for a solitary person. 

“Are you thinking that for you, a solitary person, a re-test will be conducted? Please do not hope against hope,” the top court vacation bench of Justices C.T Ravikumar and Manoj Misra told the counsel appearing for the petitioner.

Adjourning the plea, the Apex Court has listed it for a further hearing on 8th July, 2024.

The petitioner submitted that he appeared in the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination on May 5th, 2024 and allegedly his OMR was swapped. Based on that, he had urged the court to allow him to appear in the NEET-UG 2024 re-test held on June 23, 2024. 

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NTA held a re-test for 1563 candidates, who were earlier awarded grace marks to compensate for their loss of time during the exam. The Union Government and NTA decided to withdraw the grace marks after the issue was challenged before the Supreme Court.

Also Read: NEET 2024 Paper Leak Case: SC Stays Proceedings in 3 High Courts

As per the latest media report by Live Law, the Apex Court vacation bench questioned the petitioner’s counsel for approaching the Court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. Responding to this, the counsel submitted, “I am a topper of these exams. Respondents had the audacity to swap my OMR, and the same two petitions were filed before the High Court.

However, considering the fact that the petitioner was asking for a re-test and the re-neet for 1563 candidates was conducted on June 23rd, the Apex Court bench observed, “The examination in which you want an order in your favour to allow you to appear, that was already over on 23.06.2024.”

Responding to this, the counsel stated that the relief measure may be granted in case a re-test is ordered by the Top Court.

Earlier, the top court had adjourned the plea to this week after asking the petitioner to withdraw a similar plea filed before the High Court. Previously, the petitioner had also requested a week’s time to file an affidavit explaining the pendency of a similar plea before the High Court. However, during the hearing of the case on July 1st, the counsel for the petitioner requested the Court to grant two days to place on record this affidavit. 

Ultimately, the Court adjourned the matter to two weeks and observed that it would not observe anything in the plea. Listing the matter for further hearing on July 8, the Court observed, “Sometimes, if you are fortunate, some order will be there in the other matter. We do not know if that will re-resurrect your claim. It depends. On this matter, we will not say anything.”

Although the counsel persisted in listing the matter on July 09, however, Justice Ravikumar refused to do so and observed, “Are you thinking that for you, a solitary person, a re-test will be conducted? Please do not hope against hope.”

This year’s NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to light. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Earlier, while considering the NEET-related pleas, the Supreme Court had refused to defer the counselling/seat allotment process scheduled to commence on July 6. However, the bench had orally observed that the admissions would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions and if the exams were set aside, the counselling would get invalidated consequentially.

The Top Court had also expressed its concern over the alleged discrepancies in the NEET UG 2024 exam. The Court had noted that even ‘0.001& negligence’ in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exams would be looked into with all seriousness considering the immense labor put in by the candidates for the prestigious examination.

Also Read: NEET 2024 Results Row: Supreme Court pulls up NTA, says ‘Even 0.001 percent negligence Should be Thoroughly Dealt With’

New Delhi: The medical staff at a government-run Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital in Malviya Nagar are facing accusations of medical negligence following the tragic death of a 38-week pregnant woman and her unborn child on Saturday.    

According to reports, Singh the husband of the deceased alleged that the hospital staff failed to provide her with adequate treatment. He further claimed that no senior doctors attended her when she was experiencing complications at the hospital.   

The incident happened on Saturday, June 29, at the government-run Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital in Malviya Nagar where a 23-year-old pregnant woman was admitted in critical condition.  

As per Singh’s statements, the patient was asked to undergo an ultrasound which later revealed that the breast condition was indicated as ‘urgent’. After reviewing the report, a doctor administered pain medication and an injection in the emergency room. The patient was instructed to rest for thirty minutes before being discharged. Later, another doctor ordered an ECG. Following these events, both the woman and her unborn child were pronounced dead by the doctors around 1.30 pm.

Also read- BAMS Doctor Performs Delivery At Patiala Nursing Home, Patient Dies Of Postpartum Haemorrhage

Alleging that his wife waited for nearly three hours and did not receive timely care from senior doctors, he expressed his grief and disappointment with the hospital’s handling of his wife’s case. He alleged that the medical staff failed to provide adequate care and attention to his wife during her critical condition.  

Following this, he approached the police and filed a complaint against the hospital staff. When the police arrived, they sent her body for postmortem to determine the cause of her death. Police said, “In such cases, we rely on postmortem reports and take opinion from Delhi Medical Council.”

Speaking to TOI, Singh said, “My wife’s body has been sent to a mortuary for postmortem.” A family member of the deceased said, “Her remains were being transported to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for an autopsy on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Dr Pankaj Agarwal, the media nodal officer of the hospital said, “Based on preliminary details, the patient, who was 38 weeks pregnant, was under the care of a senior gynaecologist. Until the postmortem happens, we cannot comment on details.”

“The patient’s body had been handed over to police. An autopsy will be conducted to know the cause of death. The medical examiner will perform a thorough postmortem examination to determine the factors that led to the patient’s demise. Further investigations may be conducted based on the findings of the autopsy,” Dr Agarwal added. 

Also read- 35-Year-Old Patient Dies During Treatment At Thiruvananthapuram Hospital, Kin Alleges Medical Negligence

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC), Mohali recently directed Max Super Speciality Hospital and one of its doctors to pay Rs 8 lakh to a man for medical negligence during the treatment of his elderly mother back in 2020.

As per the complainant, the patient and her family had to suffer because of the wrong COVID-positive report given by the hospital. Earlier, the District Commission had directed the hospital and its Head of Microbiology department to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation. However, the State Commission increased the amount of compensation to Rs 8 lakh.

For more information, click on the link below:

Max Hospital, Head Microbiology Slapped Rs 8 Lakh Compensation For Misdiagnosing COVID-19, Improper Treatment

Godhra: In the latest update regarding the alleged malpractices in the NEET UG 2024 exam, the Central Bureau of Investigation probing the case has arrested the owner of a private school in Godhra of Gujarat recently for allegedly accepting Rs 10 lakh from at least 27 candidates each to assist them in passing the exam.

With the arrest of Patel, owner of Jay Jalaram School situated near Godhra in Panchmahal district, the number of persons arrested so far- five held by Gujarat Police- has increased to six.

Jay Jalaram School was one of the designated centres where the NEET-UG exam was held on May 5.

Patel was arrested in the early hours of Sunday from his residence in Panchmahal district, said public prosecutor Rakesh Thakor.

“As the case has been handed over to the CBI by the Gujarat government, a CBI team will produce him (Dixit Patel) before a designated court in Ahmedabad to acquire his remand,” said Thakor informed PTI. 

Also read- NEET Case Updates: CBI Conducts Searches At 7 Locations In Gujarat

Patel is the sixth person to be arrested in this case wherein the accused had allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh each from at least 27 candidates to help them clear the test.

The other five persons, who were arrested earlier by the Panchmahal police, include Vadodara-based education consultant Parshuram Roy, Jay Jalaram School principal Purushottam Sharma, school teacher Tushar Bhatt, and alleged middlemen Vibhor Anand and Arif Vohra.

After taking over the probe a week back, the CBI had sought custody of four accused except Roy. On Saturday, the Godhra district court remanded Sharma, Bhatt, Anand, and Vohra to CBI’s custody till July 2.

A preliminary investigation by the CBI has uncovered that the accused persons had asked candidates willing to adopt illegal means to obtain high scores in the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test (NEET-Under Graduate) to opt for Jay Jalaram School as the exam centre.

Last year’s NEET exam at the same school had exposed a crucial vulnerability wherein answer sheets were stored overnight, prompting the accused to conceive a plan to tamper with Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets during this period, the CBI had told the court.

As per Gujarat Police, the accused persons allegedly asked the candidates not to attempt a question if they did not know the answer.

Prima facie, Bhatt, a physics teacher, filled in the correct answers on the papers while they were still at the school premises post-exam.

The CBI on Saturday raided seven locations in Gujarat, further intensifying their probe into the alleged NEET malpractices. Statements from six candidates who allegedly paid bribes were recorded last week, linking them to the accused.

A case was registered by Godhra Police on May 8 against Bhatt, Roy, and Vohra for attempting to manipulate the NEET-UG process by extorting Rs 10 lakh from 27 candidates each. Authorities, who were tipped off about potential malpractice, preemptively intervened at the school, averting irregularities.

Bhatt, appointed as the exam’s deputy superintendent at the school centre, was apprehended before the test, and Rs 7 lakh in cash was seized from him.

The investigation showed that Roy had allegedly convinced at least 27 of his students that he could help them clear the exam for Rs 10 lakh. In a subsequent raid, cheques amounting to Rs 2.30 crore were discovered in Roy’s office.

Roy had allegedly asked his students to opt for the Godhra centre so that Bhatt, Sharma and others could help them.

Of the 27 students who had either paid in advance or agreed to pay money to Roy and others, only three managed to clear the exam with a passing score, while the remaining 23 failed. Investigations continue as the CBI seeks to unravel the full extent of the malpractice network.

This year’s NEET UG 2024 exam was mired in controversies after a paper leak scam came to the light. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that around 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, were arrested in Bihar for their alleged involvement in the paper leak of the NEET-UG exam. Patna police sources had previously claimed that the NEET-UG question papers along with their answers were provided to around 20 aspirants a day before the date of the exam i.e. May 5, 2024.

Then, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, which took over the investigation, revealed that the brokers involved in the NEET paper leak scam took between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh from each of the medical aspirants in exchange for giving them the question paper of the NEET UG 2024 question paper ahead of the examination.

Multiple pleas have been filed before the High Courts and the Supreme Court seeking an investigation into the alleged paper leak scam. Some of the pleas demanded the scrapping of the NEET UG 2024 exam and holding a retest. Meanwhile, during the case proceedings, NTA earlier decided to withdraw the grace marks awarded to 1563 candidates and hold an optional retest for those candidates. Those who did not opt for the retest were allowed to retain their original marks, without the grace marks.

The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Central Government on June 22, 2024, handed over the charge of investigation in the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“Certain cases of alleged irregularities / cheating / impersonation / malpractices have been reported. For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India after a review has decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation,” the Ministry of Education stated in a release.

Also read- NEET Paper Leak Case: Delhi, Mumbai Crime Branches Arrest 10 Medical Students Of Jhalawar Medical College From Rajasthan For Interrogation