NEW DELHI: At least 158 cases linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment and entrance examinations are awaiting trial in various courts despite the completion of the CBI probe, sources said, adding that some of the cases have been pending for more than two decades.
The CBI has now decided to approach high courts, requesting that these long-pending cases be shifted to the new Special Fast-Track Courts being established under the newly passed anti-paper leak law.
Delhi accounts for nearly 25 such cases, some dating back to 2000, in which investigations have been completed, but trials are yet to begin. These include alleged irregularities in the AIIMS PG entrance examination (2010-11), the Delhi University Medical and Dental Entrance Examination (2011), the Common Admission Test (CAT) (2004), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment (2013), and teachers’ recruitment examinations.
Bihar has five pending cases, including three linked to the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, besides two cases relating to the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) examinations of 2003 and 2011, sources said. Other states with significant pendency include Jharkhand and Karnataka with five cases each, Maharashtra with three, including two related to the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, Rajasthan with eight, Tamil Nadu with 14 and Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with 10 cases each.
Sources said long delays severely erode the prospect of successful prosecution. As years pass, witnesses become elderly or unavailable, memories fade, identification of the accused becomes increasingly difficult, and testimonies often change, they said. Frequent transfers of investigating officers, prosecutors and even presiding judges further complicate proceedings, raising the risk that some of the country’s examination fraud prosecutions could collapse.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, recently passed by Parliament, provides for every state and Union Territory to designate a sessions court as a Special Fast-Track Court. These fast-track courts will hear cases day-to-day without unnecessary breaks, the trial will be completed within three months of charge sheet filing, and the cases already pending in other courts will be transferred to these new courts, which must be completed within three months of transfer.
25 cases
awaiting trial in Delhi. These include the AIIMS PG recruitment examination of 2010-11 and Delhi University Medical and Dental Entrance of 2011
Push for speedy trial
Sources said the Central Bureau of Investigation has decided to convey to the high courts that it will provide dedicated special prosecutors to conduct these trials and make all possible resources available so that the trial proceedings are concluded at the earliest possible
