NEW DELHI: In a significant development in the ongoing NEET-UG question paper leak probe, a designated Delhi court has dismissed a petition seeking to defer arguments on the framing of charges. Special Judge Ajay Gupta ruled that ongoing or further investigations by central agencies cannot serve as grounds to stall legal proceedings against accused individuals whose initial charges have already been finalized.
The defense counsel had earlier argued for a delay, claiming that under Section 12-A of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, investigations cannot continue past a two-month window without barring supplementary charge sheets after a trial begins.
However, shooting down these arguments, the court clarified that the two-month statutory benchmark only affects provisions relating to statutory bail for the accused. Citing Supreme Court precedents and provisions under Section 193(9) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the judge emphasized that police retain the statutory right to conduct further investigations and file supplementary reports even after trials commence, provided proper judicial permission is sought.
"It is prima facie clear that as far as these thirteen accused are concerned, the investigation qua them is complete; therefore, under these circumstances, the matter was proceeded further to hear the arguments on the point of charge on behalf of all these charge-sheeted accused persons," the court stated in its order.
The bench further assured that if any fresh incriminating evidence emerges against the 13 primary accused during subsequent investigations, they will be duly supplied with supplementary charge-sheet copies and given additional opportunities to contest those findings.
Highlighting that the case records span roughly 20,000 pages and demand strict adherence to fast-track protocols under the Public Examinations Act, the court directed all parties to proceed immediately with arguments on charges.
