New Delhi: The alleged manipulation of JEE Mains examination 2021 has become a cause of concern for students and is also garnering political attention.


CBI arrested seven persons including two directors of a Noida-based private institution in connection with the case, officials said on Friday as reported by news agency PTI.


The arrests came after a case was registered against Affinity Education Pvt Ltd and three directors Siddharth Krishna, Vishwambhar Mani Tripathi and Govind Varshney, besides other associates.


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Jee Mains Exam: What Is The Alleged Manipulation Case?


The JEE Mains examination is a stepping stone for students who aim to enter IITs and NITs. The crucial assessments came under the radar over suspected manipulation when the CBI booked Affinity Education Pvt Ltd and its directors for solving questions for candidates from remote access in return for earning huge sums of money.


It is alleged that the directors in collusion with other associates and touts were "manipulating the online examination of JEE (Mains) and facilitating aspiring students to get admission in top NITs in consideration of huge amount by solving the question paper of the applicant through remote access from a chosen examination centre in Sonepat(Haryana)", CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi had said, as quoted by PTI.


Several other exam centres and a Bengaluru-based suspected mastermind of the alleged racket is also under the scanner and CBI is carrying out searches, the officials had said.


The accused used to obtain class 10 and 12 mark sheets, the user IDs, passwords, and post-dated cheques of aspiring students in different parts of the country as security, and once admission was done, they used to collect heavy amounts ranging from Rs 12-15 lakh (approx) per candidate, Joshi informed.


The officials also stated that CBI conducted searches at 19 locations on Thursday during which around 20-30 post-dated cheques were received which were suspected to be the payments in return for help in clearing the examination.


During the searches, it was found that the accused had sent messages asking to delete the data from their systems. The agency also came across leads that indicate some payments to have been allegedly made through hawala channels as well, officials said as per the agency report.


Will It Affect JEE Candidates?


Senior CBI officials have assured that bona fide candidates do not have to worry. Meanwhile, JEE expert and academician informed that as per rules, NTA reserves the right to cancel exams at the centres which are suspected to have been compromised, News18 reported. 


The highest scores obtained by students in any of the previous sessions can be considered in such cases, it said. With the option of four attempts and students appearing multiple times to improve their score, the number of students likely to be impacted can be reduced. 


Nevertheless, if a particular attempt is cancelled, the students who scored the highest marks in it would be adversely affected. 


Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targetted the Union government over the alleged manipulation, as he wrote: “JEE (Main) Exam has been breached. Students appearing for such competitive exams prepare very hard, battling difficulties of various kinds. We, as a nation, owe them a fair exam. GOI is better at providing cover-ups”.



Meanwhile, it does not seem likely that any exam or result would be cancelled as arrangements will have to be made for the same and it can also affect the academic schedule including the IIT entrance exam.


(With Agency Inputs)


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