The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Friday said that the impersonation fraud involving the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test could have ramifications across India and sought a reply from the central government, News18 reported.

The court made the Union Health and Human Resource Development Ministries parties to the case, saying the fraud may not be confined to just the state of Tamil Nadu. The case came to light in September after Government Theni Medical College Dean AK Rajendran received two emails alleging that an MBBS student named KV Udit Surya was admitted to the institution via fraudulent means.

Surya is accused of hiring a proxy to write the medical entrance exam and obtaining admission based on the marks scored by that person. So far, four other students and their parents are accused of being connected with the scam. Surya and his father were arrested on September 25, according to The New Indian Express. On September 28, the state government had transferred the inquiry to the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department.

The court on Friday also sought details about the money and people involved in the matter from the investigation department by October 15, according to Mirror Now. Three students, their parents and a middleman have so far been arrested, the report said, citing sources. The Crime Branch has also reportedly sent teams to Karnataka and Maharashtra, and is on the lookout for two more middlemen.

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