The Kerala Police on Friday said that there is “no evidence” so far to suggest that the question paper of the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination has been accessed, a day after it filed a first information report over claims on social media that it was up for sale, The Indian Express reported.
The examination is scheduled for July 6. It is conducted by the National Board of Examinations for Indian citizens who have medical degrees from foreign universities and want to register with the Medical Council of India to be able to practice in the country.
On Thursday, the police registered a case under the Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024, after it received information that certain groups on the messaging platform Telegram put up “advertisements” claiming that the question paper and the answer key of the medical test were up for sale, The Hindu reported.
This is the first case registered under the Act in the state after the Centre operationalised it in June to tackle malpractices in competitive examinations. It entails stringent punishments, including a maximum jail term of 10 years, along with a Rs 1 crore fine, for offenders.
On Friday, the police in a statement urged students undertaking the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination to remain vigilant and not “fall victim to frauds of these types for exchange of money”, The Indian Express reported.
“Cyber police are monitoring the social media platforms round the clock and stringent action will be taken against those who try to torpedo competitive examinations,” it added.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences also said on Friday that the examination will take place on Saturday as scheduled, reported ANI. It said that the question paper for the examination was still being prepared.
The exam conducting body warned the candidates not to be misled by social media posts claiming to sell the paper in exchange for money.
The development in the state comes amid questions about the credibility of competitive examinations in the country against the backdrop of irregularities in the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test for admission to undergraduate medical courses and the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test for the post of assistant professor in universities and colleges, among others.
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