CBI chargesheets 13, including NTA experts, in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against 13 individuals arrested in connection with the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper. The chargesheet was filed 77 days after the agency registered an FIR and began its probe.

The accused include three subject experts from the National Testing Agency (NTA) — in chemistry, biology, and physics — as well as several middlemen who are alleged to have sourced and distributed the leaked questions. The CBI has cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 material objects to support its case.

The agency's investigation concluded that persons responsible for setting the questions had leaked them in collusion with their associates, including middlemen and coaching centre owners. The accused have been charged with offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and offences under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

In its final report, the CBI stated that digital forensic analysis, handwriting expert opinions, and academic experts' opinions confirmed the role of the accused in circulating the leaked questions before the examination date. All 13 accused are currently in judicial custody. If the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill is passed, their trial is expected to be completed within three months.

The CBI began its investigation on May 1 following a complaint from the Department of Higher Education detailing irregularities and allegations of a paper leak. A senior officer said the probe team, led by CBI chief Praveen Sood, acted swiftly to identify the source of the leak within weeks. Multiple teams comprising 72 officers, personnel, and eight cyber forensic experts were formed. Searches were conducted at 92 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and other states, leading to the seizure of incriminating digital and communication devices and documents.

The first arrest was made on May 13, within 24 hours of the case being registered. A dozen others were subsequently arrested from Pune and other locations. The accused who have been chargesheeted include NTA subject experts Manisha Mandhare (biology), Pralhad Vithalrao Kulkarni (chemistry), and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar (physics), along with middlepersons Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande, Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Vikash Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, and Dr Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure. The chargesheet also names Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar, owner of RCC Coaching Institute in Latur, and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a physics faculty member and COO at APMA Coaching Institute in Pune.

The CBI has conducted a money trail analysis and frozen several bank accounts, bank lockers, and a demat account belonging to the accused. The agency said further investigation and forensic analysis are ongoing, and a supplementary chargesheet is likely to be filed once pending forensic reports are received.