CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday impleaded the CBI as a respondent in the NEET impersonation case, observing that since the fraud was ‘pan-India’ and Tamil Nadu CB-ID was confined to the State, the CBI should be made a party to the case.
The bench passed an interim order on the plea moved S Dheeran of Coimbatore seeking direction to the State government to undertake proper counselling and mop-up procedure to fill 207 management quota seats available due to non-filling of NRI quota seats.
A division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice P Velmurugan also ordered media not to reveal the identity of the students who are accused in the case. “As they are young children, their rights have to be protected and mostly the role of the students is very restricted except to act as per the directions of their parents. The parents are mostly responsible as they are thrusting their wishes upon their children to become doctors,” the bench said.
Even if the students are released, it is the bounden duty of the State government to provide counselling to them so that they may not take any extreme step, the bench observed.
The court also directed the Centre and the State to find out the number of students who got admission without opting for coaching in private centres. It also wanted details on how many freshers got admission this year and how many students who made second or third attempts got admission.
Additional Advocate General PH Arvind Pandiyan, appearing on behalf of the State government, submitted that the CB-CID, which was investigating the impersonation case, had arrested six persons including four students so far. However, getting admission by impersonation has surfaced only in Tamil Nadu, he noted.
The bench also suo motu impleaded the Director-General of Health Services, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi as a party respondent to the proceedings. The bench adjourned the matter to October 24. Bail pleas dismissed
The Theni Judicial Magistrate (JM) Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail petitions of three suspects -- two students and the mother of a student -- in the NEET impersonation case. The trio was arrested for allegedly obtaining medical seats illegally.
Meanwhile, bail petitions submitted by fathers of two students before the District Sessions Court on October 14 came up for hearing on Wednesday. The court adjourned them to October 19.