85-yr-old retired teacher hopes to be K'taka’s 1st beneficiary of ‘Right to Die with Dignity'
Davanagere: 85-year-old H B Karibasamma, a retired government schoolteacher, stands on the verge of becoming the first individual in Karnataka to exercise the right to die with dignity. The recent circular issued by the state government on January 30 has paved the way for terminally ill patients to seek this right, bringing Karibasamma closer to fulfilling her long-standing wish.
A lifelong crusader for this cause, Karibasamma has endured immense physical and emotional hardship. Having battled a slipped disc for over 30 years and now facing cancer, her health has steadily declined. Despite these challenges, she remained steadfast in her mission, dedicating the past 24 years to advocating for the right to die with dignity. Her efforts included numerous petitions addressed to the Chief Minister, Prime Minister, President, and even the Supreme Court of India.
Although the Supreme Court legalized passive euthanasia in 2018, Karnataka has only recently moved toward implementing the right to die with dignity. State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao clarified that this right should not be confused with euthanasia and applies solely to patients on life support who are unresponsive to life-sustaining treatment.
Residing in an old-age home in Davanagere with her husband, Karibasamma has paid a heavy personal price for her unwavering commitment to this cause. She lost her property, financial security, and relationships in her pursuit of the right to a dignified death. Having chosen a life of detachment from material possessions, she donated her remaining savings of ₹6 lakh to the welfare of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel.
Childless and estranged from her extended family, Karibasamma expressed her hope that her struggle would open doors for many others suffering from terminal illnesses. She acknowledged the alienation she faced due to her activism but remained resolute in her belief that those enduring unbearable pain deserve the right to pass away with dignity.
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NEET-UG: 2 more held, role of several NTA officers under scanner; CBI focussing on source of leak
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has arrested two more persons in connection with the NEET (UG) paper-leak case, with the role of several officers of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and other organisations, who had access to the printing press where the papers were printed, coming under the scanner, officials said on Thursday.
The agency has arrested Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune and conducted searches at 14 locations across the country in the last 24 hours, they said.
The CBI is focussing on identifying the source of the leak that has caused massive disappointment to lakhs of aspirants eyeing a seat in undergraduate medical courses, which are allotted after the highly-competitive examination, the officials said.
According to the CBI probe so far, the involvement of public servants in the leak cannot be ruled out.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three individuals from Jaipur -- Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal -- along with Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik.
Khairnar was in touch with Yadav and informed him in April that Mangilal Biwal was ready to pay Rs 10-12 lakh for arranging leaked NEET (UG) 2026 questions for his younger son.
Khairnar allegedly provided 500 to 600 questions from the leaked paper to Yadav, the officials said, adding that the questions could have helped score enough marks to get a seat in a reputed medical college.
Mangilal Biwal allegedly procured the paper from Yadav, who was known to his elder son Vikas Biwal from an NEET coaching in Rajasthan's Sikar. The deal between Mangilal Biwal and Yadav was for Rs 10 lakh, if 150 questions from the question bank matched with those in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper, the officials said.
Mangilal Biwal shared the paper with his son and further distributed it among relatives.
Yadav also told Vikas Biwal to find additional candidates for the questions to recover some of the money that he had spent on getting those, the officials said.
An analysis of digital devices has given the agency incriminating chats, leaked question papers and other digital evidence. The CBI will subject the devices to a forensic examination to get the deleted data, the officials said.
The federal agency has registered an FIR and formed teams to probe the alleged NEET (UG) paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the exam held on May 3.
The NEET (UG) 2026 was conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA at centres across the country.
According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination was held. The NTA said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for "independent verification and necessary action".
The Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) has claimed that a "guess paper" for chemistry, allegedly circulated among students ahead of the examination, had approximately 410 questions, including roughly 120 that appeared in the test.
