India Bihar 'exam toppers' face police case over cheating

A police complaint has been filed against four Indian students who topped school leaving exams in Bihar state after an inquiry found they cheated.

The education board retested 13 pupils on Friday after a viral video showed arts student Ruby Rai saying political science was about cooking.

The board cancelled the results of two science students but cleared 11 others. Ms Rai did not appear for the retest.

More than a million students sat Bihar's school leaving examinations.

The police complaint names Ms Rai, science students Saurabh Shrestha and Rahul Kumar, and a fourth student, identified as Shalini Rai.

Shalini Rai had not initially been called to take the retest, and it is unclear how authorities have determined that she cheated.

The state's education board has also filed a police complaint against the administrators of the Vishnu Dev Rai college in Vaishali district, where Ms Rai, Mr Kumar and Mr Shrestha were all students.

Last year, parents of students in the state were photographed climbing school walls to pass on answers to those inside.

The embarrassed state government announced tough measures such as fines and jail terms intended to curb cheating this year.

The markedly lower pass rate seen in the results announced last month was taken as an indication that the steps had worked.

But the footage of Ms Rai's interview provided new questions and fresh embarrassment for the authorities.