NEET-UG 2026 leak: NTA experts cultivated months before, says CBI

CBI chargesheet reveals the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was a planned conspiracy. NTA subject experts were allegedly cultivated months before the exam by coaching operators to leak papers for monetary gains. 13 accused are in judicial custody.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that the conspiracy behind the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was not a last-minute operation but a carefully planned exercise in which National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts were allegedly cultivated months before the examination and used to obtain confidential question papers in return for illegal monetary gains.

Key Accused Identified

In its chargesheet filed before the Special CBI Court at Delhi's Rouse Avenue Courts, the agency has claimed that three NTA-appointed subject experts--Botany expert Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, Chemistry expert Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni and Physics expert Manisha Sanjay Havaldar--were part of the conspiracy and allegedly misused their official roles to leak confidential examination material before the conduct of NEET-UG 2026.

According to the CBI, the investigation has revealed that coaching operators and intermediaries systematically established contact with the subject experts well before the examination process. The agency alleges that several accused maintained continuous communication with the experts, arranged meetings and facilitated payments to secure access to the confidential papers.

The chargesheet identifies Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, Chief Operating Officer of Dr. Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy, Pune, Renukai Career Centre managing partner Shivraj Motegaonkar and Siddhivinayak Hospital owner Dr. Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure among the private persons allegedly involved in coordinating the operation outside the NTA.

How the Leak Was Executed

The CBI further alleges that the leaked papers did not move directly to candidates but passed through multiple layers of intermediaries. According to the investigation, accused Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhananjay Lokhande, Shubham Madhukar Khairnar and Yash Yadav acted as links in the distribution network before the papers eventually reached candidates willing to pay large sums.

Investigators claim that digital evidence recovered during searches--including WhatsApp chats, Telegram communications, PDFs, photographs of question papers and forensic analysis of seized electronic devices--corroborates the movement of the leaked examination material across the conspiracy. The agency has relied extensively on these electronic records to reconstruct the sequence of events.

The CBI has also alleged that one of the accused handed over original educational certificates and a signed blank cheque as security after receiving the leaked questions, indicating what investigators describe as a commercial arrangement to ensure payment for the illegal access to the examination material.

Charges and Current Status

The agency has invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and destruction of evidence, besides offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

All 13 accused are presently stated to be in judicial custody, according to the chargesheet. The CBI maintains that the evidence collected during the investigation establishes that the alleged paper leak was the result of a coordinated conspiracy involving public servants, private coaching operators, brokers and candidates, rather than an isolated breach of examination security. (ANI)

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