NTA shortcomings set stage for NEET paper leak: CBI Chargesheet

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has concluded that the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was the result of a well-coordinated, multi-state criminal conspiracy in which confidential question papers were leaked by National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts and circulated through a network of middlemen to candidates in return for large sums of money. In a chargesheet filed before the Special CBI Court at Delhi's Rouse Avenue, the agency has named 13 accused, including three NTA-appointed subject experts, alleging they exploited their official roles to illegally access the examination papers before the test and pass them on through a chain of intermediaries.
The three experts named are Botany specialist Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, Chemistry expert Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni and Physics expert Manisha Sanjay Havaldar. According to the CBI, they leaked confidential NEET-UG 2026 questions, which were subsequently circulated among coaching operators and brokers before reaching candidates. In its charge sheet, filed on July 28, the agency has cited records collected from the app of Kulkarni's society, including the biometrics of students who were coming for special coaching classes conducted by him. The app is used for controlling and recording the entry and exit of visitors in gated housing societies, among other things.
Apart from the three NTA experts, the chargesheet names Tejas Shah, Shivraj Motegaonkar, Dr Manoj Shirure, Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhananjay Lokhande, Shubham Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal and Vikas Biwal. The CBI alleged that each played a specific role in facilitating the leak, coordinating candidates or handling financial transactions.
The agency alleged that Mangilal Biwal received the leaked questions from co-accused Yash Yadav via Telegram. As part of the arrangement, Biwal allegedly handed over his original Class X and XII certificates along with a signed blank cheque as security to one of Yadav's associates. These documents were later recovered during searches, the chargesheet said. Investigators further alleged that Waghmare remained in contact with NTA Chemistry expert Prahlad Kulkarni, who had worked on the Marathi-to-English back translation of the Chemistry paper. The agency claimed Biology and Chemistry questions were obtained through students introduced to NTA experts.
The chargesheet also alleged that one candidate and his father were offered access to the question papers for Rs 4 lakh. It further claimed that one of the NTA-appointed subject experts conducted offline revision classes after obtaining access to the confidential material. According to the CBI, key interactions among the accused date back to late 2025 and early 2026, indicating that the conspiracy had been planned well before the examination. The CBI has maintained that the alleged paper leak was a coordinated operation involving public servants, coaching operators, brokers and candidates, with digital evidence playing a central role in tracing the movement of the confidential examination papers through the network.
According to investigators, copies of the paper may have been circulated through courier networks, encrypted messaging apps and coaching circles operating across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Kerala.The agency has asserted that forensic analysis of seized electronic devices, chat records, recovered documents and witness statements collectively establish the alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of official position by public servants and illegal circulation of confidential examination material before the conduct of NEET-UG 2026.