Former Bihar School Examination Board (BESB) Secretary Harihar Nath Jha, who arrested today in connection with the Intermediate toppers scam, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Patna court.
He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) earlier today over his alleged involvement the Intermediate toppers scam, taking the total number of persons behind the bars in connection with this case to 20.
The issue came to light after Ruby Rai, the arts topper of the Bihar's Class 12 exams, failed to reply to basic questions about her subject. She was on June 25 arrested after failing a re-test at the board's office and sent to judicial custody till July 8.
Rai, who had achieved infamy after describing political science as "prodigal science" soon after the declaration of the Class XII results, was asked about a dozen questions from the syllabus by a seven-member expert committee of the board.
Re-exams were ordered after she in a TV interview had said political science, a subject she virtually aced, teaches cooking.
Last week, a Patna court rejected the interim bail plea of BSEB ex-chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha, a former JD (U) MLA, in connection with the intermediate toppers' scam case.
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Following the furore over the Bihar Board examination toppers being unable to answer basic questions related to their stream eventually leading to a re-examination, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier said the guilty won't be spared, adding the investigation into this matter will be done with a criminal angle.
The BSEB earlier on June 4 cancelled the results of two toppers, including Sourabh Shrestha, of the Intermediate (Science) examinations after they failed to prove their merits in a re-test.