The Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell will no longer set up examination centres outside the state for its pre-entrance exams. Students from other states wishing to appear for the CET to secure admission to courses within the state must travel to an in-state examination centre.

On Thursday, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil addressed the media, explaining that this measure aims to curb malpractices in the examination process. The decision follows concerns raised after the recent five-year law entrance exam results, announced late Wednesday, revealed that four candidates from a single centre in Patna achieved perfect percentile scores.

Three of these students appeared in the morning session on April 28, while one appeared in the afternoon session. Suspecting potential irregularities at this centre, the Higher and Technical Education Department has ordered an investigation, which will be conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), according to Patil.

The CET Cell, in collaboration with the Admission Regulatory Authority (ARA), oversees more than 16 entrance exams annually for various courses. Over 10 lakh students participate in these exams each year, with more than 25,000 typically appearing at out-of-state centres.

Last year, in March, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch dismantled a racket that lured students with promises of inflating their CET percentiles for admission to various programs. Three individuals from Delhi were apprehended in connection with the scam.

Prompted by this incident, and another case involving irregularities at a Nagpur examination center, the department has opted to eliminate out-of-state centers starting next year to safeguard the integrity of the entrance exams.

Additional opportunity for BBA, BCA, BMS, and BBM admissions.

In a separate development, the State CET Cell announced the results for the CET conducted for admission to BCA, BBA, BMS, and BBM courses on Wednesday, June 4. This year, participation was notably lower than in previous years. With over 2 lakh seats available across colleges in the state, only 61,666 students appeared for the exam, raising concerns about a significant number of vacant seats. To address this, minister Patil announced that an additional opportunity will be provided for students to apply for these courses.