NEET paper leak: Shocking revelation as insiders implicated

CBI investigation reveals that subject experts from the National Testing Agency (NTA) leaked confidential question papers.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has concluded in its investigation that the subject experts of the National Testing Agency (NTA) themselves leaked the confidential question papers and then delivered them to candidates in exchange for large sums of money through a network of intermediaries. The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was the result of a well-planned criminal conspiracy spread across several states.

In the chargesheet filed in the special CBI court at Rouse Avenue, Delhi, the agency has named 13 accused. Among them are three subject experts appointed by the NTA. It is alleged that these experts misused their official positions to illegally access the question papers before the examination and then passed them on through intermediaries.

The Times Of India reports that the chargesheet names three NTA subject experts: Botany expert Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, Chemistry expert Prahlad Vitthalrao Kulkarni, and Physics expert Manisha Sanjay Havaldar. According to the CBI, they leaked the confidential questions of NEET-UG 2026, which were later circulated among coaching operators and brokers, eventually reaching the candidates.

Cases have been registered against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

The agency stated,

The investigation revealed a clear supply chain linking NTA experts with intermediaries and coaching operators. It is alleged that through this network, leaked question papers were delivered to candidates in exchange for money.

Apart from the three NTA experts, the chargesheet includes the names of 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 alleges that each of these individuals played different roles in facilitating the paper leak, coordinating with candidates, or handling financial transactions.

According to the chargesheet,

Forensic examination of seized mobile phones, pen drives, and other electronic devices revealed PDFs and image files of leaked NEET-UG 2026 questions. Investigators allege that these files were shared via Telegram, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps several days before the examination.

The CBI claims that digital evidence helped trace the entire route through which the leaked question papers reached various states and the accused.

The agency alleges that Mangilal Biwal received leaked questions from co-accused Yash Yadav via Telegram. Under this arrangement, Biwal allegedly provided his original class 10 and 12 mark sheets/certificates along with a signed blank cheque as security to an associate of Yadav. According to the chargesheet, these documents were later recovered during a search. Investigators allege that Yash Yadav received the question papers from Nashik-based accused Shubham Khairnar. Forensic examination of Yadav's mobile phone allegedly revealed chats with a contact saved as "AP Broker," identified as Khairnar. The mobile also reportedly contained PDF files of the leaked question papers.

The CBI alleges,

Khairnar paid Dhananjay Lokhande ₹25 lakh for the leaked question papers. During interrogation, Khairnar allegedly disclosed this financial transaction. Lokhande allegedly received the leaked question papers from Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, who arranged for the physical delivery of the papers through intermediaries. During a search of Waghmare's residence, a mobile phone was allegedly recovered, which contained a WhatsApp group named "NEET 2026." Investigators believe this group was used in connection with the conspiracy.

The agency also alleges that Waghmare was in contact with NTA Chemistry expert Prahlad Kulkarni. Kulkarni worked on translating the Chemistry question paper from Marathi to English. According to the CBI, Waghmare received leaked questions in Biology and Chemistry through students she introduced to Mandhare and Kulkarni.

The chargesheet also mentions statements recorded from candidates during the investigation. In one case, it was allegedly offered to a candidate and his father to provide the NEET-UG 2026 question paper for ₹4 lakh. This included coaching assistance and an offline revision class by an NTA subject expert. According to the CBI, these conversations took place between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 and were part of a larger conspiracy.

The Print reports that the CBI investigation revealed that the three subject experts allegedly used a comprehensive method of noting down questions and their answer options on small slips of paper or writing them down after memorizing them upon returning from work, and marking related paragraphs in NCERT books.

The agency stated in its chargesheet that plain papers were given to Kulkarni for rough work during the translation and re-translation of NEET-UG questions in the confidential section located on the first floor of the NTA headquarters. The CBI alleges that Kulkarni used these papers to prepare a brief list of all 135 questions in the form of small slips. He also noted down the answer options.

The chargesheet stated,

There was no arrangement for checking or searching experts while entering or exiting the NTA's confidential section. They could simply memorize the easy questions and write them down in a book upon returning to their hotel room after the day's work. Accused PV Kulkarni re-translated 3 sets of questions, totaling 135 questions, over a period of three days from 31.03.2026 to 02.04.2026.

Regarding Havaldar, the CBI claimed that she was tasked with translating question set number two of her subject Physics and re-translating sets one, two, and four. According to the agency, the investigation allegedly revealed that she used to briefly note down the questions after returning to her hotel in Delhi after the day's work. Regarding Botany subject expert Mandhare, the agency found that she was assigned the task of translating questions from English to Marathi and re-translating Zoology questions back into English. Like Havaldar, Mandhare allegedly used her memory and marked related paragraphs in NCERT books after finishing each day's work.

The agency alleged that accused Manisha Gurunath Mandhare participated in the translation and re-translation work related to Botany and Zoology for the NTA NEET UG 2026 examination between 09.03.2026 and 05.04.2026. The CBI further claimed that these discrepancies went unnoticed because the NTA did not monitor the CCTV footage of its headquarters.