MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH CET) Cell has registered a complaint at Azad Maidan police station in Mumbai after reports of alleged irregularities involving specific examination centres in engineering admissions. The complaint was filed to facilitate an inquiry and uncover the details of the alleged scam.
The MH CET is conducted annually for admissions to government, semi-government, and private engineering colleges in Maharashtra, on the lines of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admissions to IITs and NITs.
The merit list published by the MH CET showed that more than 100 students among the top 300 candidates secured 99 to 100 percentile in the entrance examination despite scoring less than 60 per cent in their Class 12 board examinations.
According to the usual pattern, students who score between 99 and 100 percentile in the MH CET also tend to score above 80 per cent in the Class 12 board examinations, as the board syllabus is considered easier than the MH CET. However, these more than 100 students secured 99 to 100 percentile in the entrance examination despite relatively low board marks, raising questions over whether the high scores were linked to managed examination centres.
Teachers who track MH CET results said the pattern has changed over the past three years, with more than 100 top-ranking candidates scoring lower marks in the board examinations while securing 99 to 100 percentile in the MH CET. Earlier, they said, students who performed well in the MH CET also generally scored well in the board examinations.
Among those on the merit list are the twin children of BJP leader Ashish Neralkar from Nanded. Arush Ashish Neralkar and Avni Ashish Neralkar secured All India ranks 37 and 38, with 99.99 and 99.98 percentile, respectively, in the MH CET. In the Class 12 board examinations, they scored 56.67 per cent and 51.67 per cent, respectively, in physics, chemistry and mathematics.
Meanwhile, a purported audio clip surfaced on social media in which Rs 15 lakh is allegedly demanded to secure admission to an engineering college, with the woman on the other end allegedly offering to secure 99 to 100 percentile in the MH CET.
In the audio, the woman allegedly says that parents need not pay the amount upfront and can make the payment after the results are declared. She also allegedly claims that the parents have submitted the original Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets, along with caste certificates, and that these documents would be returned only after the fixed amount of Rs 15 lakh is paid.