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Earlier, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP K Kanimozhi reiterated the demand to "exempt" Tamil Nadu from NEET, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for medical admissions across the country.

"Tamil Nadu has been consistently saying that we do not want NEET. Now it is proved that NEET is not a fair examination, and students are losing so much because of NEET," he told ANI in Delhi.

She said that the state assembly passed a resolution to scrap the national-level entrance exam and also "exempt" the state from it.

"We want NEET to be abolished. We have passed a resolution in our Assembly, and it is still pending with the President for signature," Kanimozhi said. The DMK MP further mentioned that the lives of students are affected while waiting for the President's approval.

The NEET-UG 2024 Examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, took place at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing.

An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, leading to widespread protests in the country.

Why was NEET PG cancelled?

Talking about why the exam was cancelled 12 hours before it was about to start on June 23, Sheth clarified that “there were no reports of a paper leak or any other kind of such issue.” The exam, as per the NBE, was cancelled as the “Ministry wanted to check the robustness of the exam process, and we wanted to be sure that there is no vulnerability in this process.”

Stating that several exams of the National Testing Agency (NTA) were already cancelled, the NBE chief added that the situation was “overly sensitive” this time.

“A leak in the NEET PG exam is not possible, as our exam is conducted in a computer-based test (CBT) format, which means that everything is done online and the question paper is not published anywhere. Usually, we generate the question paper almost an hour before the exam, so there is no possibility of a paper leak.

“However, there are some miscreants in our society who take advantage of the vulnerability of students in such tense situations and tell students that they can help them pass the exam for a fixed amount of money. In such cases, they take half payment before the exam and then if the student passes, they claim it is because of them. If the student does not clear the exam, these miscreants run away with their half payment.

“Considering how sensitive the situation already was this year, we wanted to avoid such a situation where fraudulent agents could take advantage of students, and that’s why this step was taken,” he explained.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET UG 2024, on Wednesday questioned the Principal and other staff members of the Oasis School in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh. Meanwhile, the Special CBI Court in Patna has sent two accused in the NEET question paper leak case – Chintu Kumar and Mukesh Kumar – to CBI remand for three days.

HT Poll | Should NTA continue to be the conducting agency for NEET? Here's how people responded

Key developments have emerged from other states as well, most recently from West Bengal where the Kolkata Police arrested a person associated with an educational institution for allegedly taking money from a student’s parent on the promise of a rank in the merit list and a medical seat.

The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution demanding the central government to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET and UGC NET exams.

In Delhi, over a dozen students were detained on Wednesday during a protest against the NEET UG examination organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union along with other outfits.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu while addressing a joint sitting of both houses, said that the government is committed to a fair investigation of the recent incidents of paper leaks as well as stringent punishment for the guilty.

(With inputs from agencies)

Get the latest details about the CBI investigation into the NEET UG paper leak case and other developments below.

BJP leader and former Union minister Anurag Thakur presented the Motion of Thanks for the President's address in the Lok Sabha today, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to respond on July 2. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj will second the motion, expressing gratitude for the President's address to the joint session of Parliament on Thursday.

In the Rajya Sabha, BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi is presenting the motion, and the Prime Minister is anticipated to reply to the debate on July 3 in the Upper House.

President Droupadi Murmu addressed the joint session of Parliament on Thursday for the first time following the Lok Sabha elections. In her speech, she congratulated the Election Commission on successfully conducting the elections and discussed several key issues, including the violence in the Northeast and the Emergency imposed by the Congress government in 1975.

Latest highlights

- Opposition leaders criticised the President's speech to Parliament, calling it a government-written script filled with falsehoods and condemned the frequent references to the 1975 Emergency.

- They claimed that there is an "undeclared emergency" in the country, and the Modi government is attacking the Constitution.

- In her speech, President Droupadi Murmu described the 1975 Emergency as the darkest chapter in Indian history and praised the nation's triumph over unconstitutional forces.

- Earlier on Thursday, during the Lok Sabha session, Congress members chanted 'Jai Samvidhan' after Tharoor's oath, leading Speaker Om Birla to remark that Tharoor was already taking an oath on the Constitution. This prompted Congress MP Hooda to criticise Birla, who responded firmly.

- INDIA bloc leaders announced a protest on July 1 at the Gandhi Statue in Parliament, accusing the government of political vendetta, misuse of central agencies like CBI and ED against opposition leaders, and targeting prominent figures such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others.

- The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha began on Monday, and the Rajya Sabha session started on Thursday. Both sessions will end on July 3.