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NEET impersonation: Bail for student, but not for dad

MADURAI: Madras high court on Thursday granted bail to a student who was involved in impersonation in the national eligibility-cum-entrance test (Neet) for MBBS admission, but dismissed the bail plea of his father.


Justice G R Swaminathan observed that the whole act was maneuvered Dr V K Venkatesan and his son had played along.

“It appears that Venkatesan has drawn inspiration from the Tamil movie ‘Vasool Raja MBBS. The investigation of the case is in a critical stage now as the identity of the impersonator and the modus operandi in not known,” observed the judge. He said that the state government counsel had also mentioned that they were not cooperating with the investigation. Hence, bail has been denied to Venkatesan.

Holding that the bail application of the student has to be looked at in a slightly different perspective, the court granted him bail considering his age and future. However, the student must appear before the CB-CID deputy superintendent of police in Madurai district everyday at 10.30am.

Earlier, when the bail pleas of the student and his father were taken up for hearing, the judge observed that the dean of Theni medical college had received a mail stating that there was something seriously suspicious about the student getting MBBS admission at the college for the year 2019-20. When an inquiry was conducted in this regard, shocking facts had come to light based on the information provided by National Testing Agency. The court said NTA stated that an impersonator has appeared for Neet on behalf of the student at an exam centre at Mumbai even as the student appeared for the exam at a centre in Chennai.

When the issue was prominently flashed in the media, the student moved the HC Madurai bench seeking anticipatory bail. Since the student was arrested during the pendency of the petition, the court agreed to treat his anticipatory bail petition as bail petition, taking note of his age. The judge said that the student’s father Venkatesan also filed a bail at the principal district and sessions court at Theni. Since both the petitions arise in the case, the court had called for Venkatesan’s bail plea documents from the lower court to hear it along with the student’s bail plea.

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