CBI files chargesheet in NEET UG 2026 paper leak case
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Jul 29, 2026: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, including three subject experts, two coaching centre associates, middlemen and several beneficiary candidates.
The chargesheet, filed before a special court, invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and destruction of evidence. It also includes charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
According to the CBI, the chargesheet is supported by statements from 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects. All 13 accused are currently in judicial custody.
The agency has also submitted digital forensic reports, handwriting analysis and opinions from academic experts, which it said confirmed that the leaked examination questions were circulated before the NEET-UG 2026 exam.
The CBI took over the investigation on May 12 following allegations of irregularities and a paper leak in the NEET-UG examination held on May 3. The exam was subsequently cancelled, and a re-examination was conducted on June 21.
As part of the investigation, the agency conducted raids at 92 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other states. Investigators said the probe traced the conspiracy from the source of the leak to the beneficiary candidates, identifying the entire chain involved.
Among those named in the chargesheet are arrested National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts P.V. Kulkarni (Chemistry), Manisha Gurunath Mandhare (Biology) and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar (Physics).
Others named include Dr Manoj Shirure of Latur, Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a physics faculty member at Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA) in Pune, and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, associated with a coaching centre in Latur.
The CBI said several middlemen involved in procuring and distributing the leaked question papers have also been identified and arrested. It added that two coaching institute associates were arrested for allegedly obtaining the leaked papers from the subject experts.
The agency further said it has traced the money trail and frozen several bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account linked to the accused as part of the ongoing investigation.