The Bombay High Court on Friday (July 24) assigned two special courts, one each in Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts in Maharashtra, to hear
cases pertaining to misconduct in public examinations, including NEET, according to PTI. This follows the Centre’s decision to set up fast-track courts to hear cases related to malpractices in examinations, including the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), amid ongoing protests by students and activists at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, over exam-related irregularities and accountability on the part of the government. “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. We have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” the official tweet by PM Modi reads. Acting HC Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge designated Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate SV Pawar at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (central Maharashtra) and Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Gulshan Kolte at Nagpur (eastern Maharashtra) to hear the cases, as per the news agency.
Decision to Designate Special Courts in Line With Centre’s Directives
Official sources in the HC told PTI that the decision was in accordance with the Centre’s instructions to designate special courts for holding trials of offences springing from the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act as well as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in at least two major districts.
Under the 2024 Act, trials in such cases should be completed within three months.
For those unfamiliar with the protests, a youth-led movement is unfolding at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where students, activists, and laymen are agitating against the recurring exam-related irregularities, especially the recent NEET UG 2026 paper leak.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is at the forefront of these protests, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore in financial compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide.
