NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to collect additional specimen handwriting and signatures of an accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case, accepting the agency’s contention that fresh samples are required to compare a large number of handwritten documents recovered during the investigation.Special Judge Ajay Gupta was hearing the CBI’s plea seeking additional specimen handwriting samples of accused Manisha Sanjay Havaldar.The prosecution told the court that Havaldar allegedly shared handwritten physics questions with co-accused Manisha Mandhare and also dictated physics questions to another accused, Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah.During the investigation, handwritten images containing physics question notes were recovered from Mandhare’s mobile phone.The prosecutor submitted that although the court had already permitted the CBI to obtain Havaldar’s specimen handwriting on May 30, further samples had become necessary because of the voluminous records in the case.According to the agency, additional handwriting and signature specimens are required to compare every relevant document fairly and ensure a proper investigation.Allowing the plea on Wednesday, the court said, “CBI is permitted to take the further specimen handwriting/signatures of accused Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, in the concerned jail.”“Jail superintendent is directed to make necessary arrangements for obtaining the specimen handwriting/signatures of the accused for three days (July 27-29 during office hours) by the CBI officials, in the presence of an independent witness (to be brought by CBI),” it said.The CBI has so far arrested 13 accused persons in the NEET-UG paper leak case, all of whom are currently in judicial custody.On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak.A re-exam was then held on June 21.(With PTI inputs)
