New Delhi, 16 July (H.S.): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday opposed the bail plea of Dr. Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure, an accused in the NEET paper leak case, arguing that the offence amounted to a crime against the nation. After hearing arguments from both sides, Special Judge Ajay Gupta reserved his order on the bail application. The court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on July 22.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI submitted that the alleged offence had tarnished the country's image and adversely affected the future of millions of students. Appearing for the agency, counsel Neetu Singh argued that the paper leak had led to the cancellation of the examination, causing severe hardship to numerous candidates. She further submitted that the incident resulted in an estimated loss of nearly ₹600 crore to the government. The CBI also told the court that several students had allegedly died by suicide following the paper leak controversy.
During the hearing, counsel representing Shirure argued that the allegations against his client were based solely on the disclosure statement of co-accused Prahlad Kulkarni. The defence contended that such a statement alone could not establish Shirure's role in the alleged offence. It further argued that there was no substantive evidence linking him to the crime and that there was no possibility of him absconding if granted bail.
So far, 13 accused have been arrested in connection with the NEET paper leak case, and all of them remain in judicial custody.
An FIR in the case was registered on May 12 based on a complaint filed by a government official. The CBI registered the case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Following allegations that the question paper for the NEET examination held on May 3 had been leaked, the examination was cancelled and reconducted on June 21. The Central Government subsequently ordered a CBI investigation into the matter.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
