Pune, 29th July 2026: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against 13 accused before a Delhi court in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. All the accused are currently in judicial custody.
The chargesheet names National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts, intermediaries and officials associated with reputed coaching institutes for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.
According to the CBI, forensic analysis and handwriting examination have established that portions of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper were leaked before the examination. The agency has frozen the accused persons' bank accounts, lockers and demat accounts after tracing financial transactions linked to the alleged racket.
Officials said digital forensic analysis and further investigation are still underway and that every individual involved will be brought to justice.
The Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education referred the case to the CBI after receiving complaints of irregularities in the May 3, 2026 NEET examination. A formal case was registered on May 12, following which the CBI formed special investigation teams comprising 72 officers and eight cyber forensic experts.
The agency conducted searches at 92 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other states, seizing computers, mobile phones and digital evidence. Investigators concluded that questions from Biology, Chemistry and Physics had been leaked before the examination.
The investigation has identified what the agency describes as the main source of the paper leak and the network through which the question paper allegedly reached candidates. The first arrest in the case was made on May 13, 2026, and investigators claim they have since mapped the entire chain involved in the operation.
The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and destruction of evidence. They have also been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
During the investigation, the CBI recorded statements from 360 witnesses, submitted 422 pieces of evidence before the court and seized 43 material objects.
Pune has figured prominently in the investigation. One of the alleged key conspirators, chemistry professor Prahlad Vitthalrao Kulkarni, was taken into custody from the city. Investigators also arrested Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, a beauty parlour owner from Bibwewadi.
During questioning, Waghmare allegedly revealed that Biology teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, associated with Modern College, had conducted special coaching sessions for students at her residence. The disclosure led to Mandhare's arrest, strengthening investigators' claim that Pune served as an important operational hub in the alleged paper leak network.
The chargesheet names Biology expert Manisha Mandhare, Chemistry expert Prahlad Vitthalrao Kulkarni, Physics expert Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Renukai Career Centre (RCC), Latur director Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy, Pune COO and Physics faculty Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande, Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Bival, Vikas Bival, Dinesh Bival and Dr Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure.
