‘Strict Action Will Be Taken Against Those Involved’: Dharmendra Pradhan On NEET Scam

On being appointed as pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab said, "I am happy that I have been appointed as the new pro-tem Speaker. It is a big responsibility. I am happy and proud to get this responsibility. No one was a pro-tem Speaker from Odisha earlier."

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "In democracy, everyone has their views. It is our job to listen to everyone. Our responsibility is to run a process-driven government, it is our responsibility to speak the truth and accept truth. Few students have doubts about NTA (National Testing Agency) and we will have to accept this. Government has decided to form a committee and experts will be part of that committee. All the important things will be reconsidered and NTA will be strengthened further. Those who are responsible for it (discrepancies) will be held accountable."
 

On Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's statement on paper leak issue, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "I don't find it is appropriate to comment anything on that today. I have the responsibility of education deparment. I assure the students, I understand your situation and we will try to find solutions to it. Our government is responsible for it. Have faith."

On the NEET UG and UGC NET exam issue, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, "The irregularities that happened in the NEET exam are alarming. This is another Vyapam (scam). The BJP government should start an inquiry into this. Parents and students across the country are in panic. It should be rectified and a probe should be announced. Under the BJP regime, there is no sanctity of the examinations."

On the NEET issue, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "Regarding NEET, the first discrepancy that came to light was regarding grace mark, due to some procedural mismanagement. A fear spread and few students got agitated and people went to court. Later NTA (National Testing Agency) kept a new pan before the court that re-examination of those students who got grace marks can be conducted. So solution was found to the main issue related to NEET. Then, a few issues from Patna came to light, due to timely intervention, all, those who were behind it were caught. Further probe is underway. Bihar government officials and Central government officials are working together to take it to a logical end."

On the UGC-NET exam cancellation, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "I want to assure the students, this is your government, have faith. The interest of students is key to us. Yesterday evening, IC4 gave input on UGC-NET that there is a possibility that the exam was compromised. We looked into it and we also felt that the exam was compromised. We cancelled the exam and initiated CBI enquiry."

Cracking down on proscribed terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted multi-state searches and arrested a key operative linked with designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against ‘unknown persons’ for compromising the integrity of the UGC NET exam conducted on June 18. Notably, the NTA on Wednesday announced cancellation of the examination, day after its conduct, following allegations of irregularities in the examination. 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will move to the Delhi High Court on Friday against the trial court's judgement granting bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Notably, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted bail to CM Kejriwal in the excise policy scam case.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday met and interacted with Indian Army troops in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. 

On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal granted bail in the Delhi liquor policy scam case, Advocate Rishikesh Kumar form the AAP legal team said, "Today, in excise policy scam, Arvind Kejriwal was granted by Rouse Avenue court. He was granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. By tomorrow afternoon, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail. This is a big win for AAP leaders, country and people."

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday interacted with officers superannuating on June 30 including Army War College Commandant Lt General Devendra Pratap Pandey during the Retiring Officers' Seminar. The Army chief commended the officers for their service to the nation and the organisation.

President Droupadi Murmu has appointed BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as Protem Speaker, confirmed Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday. The President also appointed Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Sudip Bandyopadhyay to assist the Protem Speaker till the election of the Speaker.
 

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy scam case. The court granted bail to the Delhi CM on a bond of Rs 1 lakh. 

On the NEET Scam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said, “NTA’s structure, functioning, transparency and conduction of the exams will be improved, we are focusing on a zero error policy. The matter should not be politicised. The government is to form a committee to investigate into the functioning of NTA, improvise on the security system. We are ready to improvise. Legal and logical support will be given from the government's side. High level committee will be notified soon, which will work to transform NTA.” 
 

On the NEET Scam, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said, “Strict action will be taken against those involved in the scam, be it the National Testing Agency (NTA) officials. The detailed details will be sent to the Government of India soon. The accused will be punished heavily. The person may be anyone, even a high official of the NTA. The government has imposed restrictions for the benefit of students. Students are the priority, there will be no compromise in any way.”
 

On the NEET exam paper leak scam, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said, “Students are priority and their education will not be compromised. We are in touch with the Bihar government. Patna police are investigating the details of the matter. Report will be submitted to us.”
 

Tamil Nadu Hooch Tragedy: After the death of at least 38 people in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district due to spurious liquor, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Thursday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting him to order a CBI enquiry into the deaths caused by the illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at 'Empowering Youth, Transforming J&K' event in Srinagar on Thursday, said, "The changes we are seeing in Jammu & Kashmir today is the result of our work in the last 10 years."

On Patna High Court setting aside Bihar government's notification to raise reservation, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "We increased the reservation for the most backward, Dalits, tribals and backward society. At that time also we had requested the Government of India to put it in Schedule 9. Some people of BJP always want to stop such work by filing PILs and the caste-based census was also stopped in the same way. We are hurt by this and this work was done very impartially. I don't know why the JDU people are silent. If the Bihar government does not go to the Supreme Court, then the Rashtriya Janata Dal will go to the Supreme Court."

The Haryana Congress leaders along former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday met the Haryana Governor. Following the meeting, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said, “They (BJP) do not have the full majority, they only have 43 MLAs while they need 44, so they are engaged in horse-trading. To stop the horse-trading, the government should be immediately dismissed and a fresh mandate should be taken.”

At least two men died in a shootout incident in Hoyasalanagar of KR Puram area in Hassan. According to the police, the incident primarily appeared to be like the two were connected in business.

Karnataka's Hassan SP Mohammad Sujitha said, "Few people had come to see a piece of land. The neighbours have seen two people discussing about a piece of land. After that, they heard some shots. People presume it should be some cracked shot. But later, they found out it was some firing shot. Two bodies have been recovered. As of now, the primary investigation reveals that one person has killed another person and then committed suicide."
 

On NEET examination paper leak allegations, BJP’s Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lashed out at the opposition leader, saying, “Opposition must play a constructive role."

On allegations that a few political leaders’ close confidants were involved in the paper leak incidents, Poonawalla said, "Strict action will be taken against all leaders involved."
 

On Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha's claims in NEET examination paper leak allegations, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "Corruption is in the DNA of RJD. Tejashwi Yadav has hands in NEET exam paper leak."

A delegation of the Haryana Congress led by former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday arrived at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh to meet Governor Bandaru Dattatreya. 

On the water crisis in Delhi, State BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva said, "...Yesterday also Delhi got 17.34% more water from Haryana. After water reaches Delhi, the water tanker mafia steals it. This crisis is manufactured by AAP and their corruption."

The initial probe into the June 17 Kanchanjunga Express accident has suggested there were lapses by the operating department of the New Jalpaiguri Rail Division and the crew of the goods train that hit the passenger train. At least 10 people were killed, including the passenger train's guard and the pilot of the goods train after it rammed into the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Monday.

Members of All India Students' Association (AISA) held protest over cancellation of UGC-NET exam, in Delhi on Thursday.

As many as 4.29 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates for the upcoming polls to four constituencies in the Maharashtra legislative council, officials said on Thursday. The biennial elections to the Mumbai Graduates, Mumbai Teachers, Nashik teachers and Konkan Graduates constituencies in the upper house of the state legislature are scheduled on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1. The polls became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will meet NEET aspirants at 4pm at his residence.

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday seized drugs worth Rs 150 crore from the Sir Creek area of Kutch in Gujarat.

The flood waters overflowed on the NH-15 at Keherukhanda in Dhekiajuli Town on Thursday.

Members of NSUI (National Students' Union of India) protested outside the residence of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET Row in Delhi on Thursday. "Today, we are protesting against the irregularities and paper leak," said one of protesters.

A man and his two teenage daughters were charred to death in a major fire that broke out at their three-storey house in Gwalior city of Madhya Pradesh early on Thursday, a fire official said. The incident took place around 3 am. The fire broke out apparently due to a short circuit in the kitchen on the third floor and engulfed the entire building located in Bahodapur area, fire officer Atibal Singh Yadav said.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished President Droupadi Murmu a long and healthy life on her 66th birthday on Thursday. Murmu started her day by visiting the Lord Jagannath temple in Delhi and prayed for the welfare of all citizens. "Jai Jagannath! Today I visited the Jagannath temple in Delhi and prayed for the welfare of all countrymen and also (wished) that our country continues to set new standards of progress," the president's office said in a post on X, in Hindi, along with pictures of the visit.

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice on petition filed by National Testing Agency (NTA) seeking transfer of pleas relating to NEET-UG, 2024 from High Court to the apex court. Supreme Court stayed the proceedings before the High Court in the cases. SC again reiterated that it will not stop the counselling process.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is holding a meeting over Kallakurichi hooch tragedy at the Secretariat in Chennai.

The Patna High Court on Thursday scrapped 65% reservation for Backward Classes, EBCs, SCs & STs. The Court set aside the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (Amendment) Act, 2023 and The Bihar (In admission in Educational Institutions) Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 as ultra vires and violative of the equality clause under Articles 14, 15 and 16.

Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra led party leaders and workers in taking out a cycle protest rally in Bengaluru over the fuel price hike by the state government.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday said that he was apprehending a threat to his security because of the presence of the current contingent of Kolkata Police posted at Raj Bhavan here. His statement came days after he ordered the police personnel to vacate the Raj Bhavan premises. They, however, are still on duty in the Governor House.

The Delhi Police has arrested an alleged sharpshooter of the Tillu Tajpuriya gang from Rohini following a brief encounter, officials said on Thursday. Sumit had jumped parole in a murder case registered at the Kanjhawla police station, and is also wanted in another murder case at the Alipur police station. "He was arrested after a brief shoot-out with the team of special staff of Rohini police," a senior police officer said.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Congress on Thursday said every year he conducts a "grand tamasha" of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha' and yet his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds. The opposition party also asked the prime minister if he would "leak pe speak". The Union Education Ministry late on Wednesday night ordered cancellation of UGC-NET following inputs of the exam's integrity being compromised.

Due to heavy rains in Maharashtra's Palghar, the bridge built on Deharje river got submerged. The bridge acts as a link between Palghar and Manorwada. 

Searches are underway in across West Bengal by the ED in connection with a Delhi cyber fraud case.
 

A senior leader of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said his party should get to contest at least 100 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena is part of the Mahayuti coalition which also includes the BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Assembly elections are due in the state in October.

The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear pleas filed by NTA seeking transfer of cases on NEET-UG Row from various high courts to it.

A huge crowd gathered to collect water from tankers amid the ongoing water crisis in the national capital. Water was being supplied via tanker in the Okhla Industrial Area Phase 2 amid the water crisis in the national capital on Thursday.

The death toll in Tamil Nadu Hooch Tragedy has risen to 25, said police on Thursday.