CBI rules out involvement of govt officials in NEET scam

Since the role of public servants in the alleged scam has been ruled out, the case will now be heard by a metropolitan magistrate’s court, a CBI officer said

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has ruled out involvement of any public servant in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2025 admission scam, wherein medical aspirants were promised admission in government medical colleges in lieu of bribes.

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Though two arrested accused in the case had claimed connection and undue influence with officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, the CBI’s probe did not find any evidence regarding involvement of public servants, including NTA officials, in the case, the investigating agency told a special court with jurisdiction over cases under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act on December 24, 2025.

“Since the role of public servants in the alleged scam has been ruled out, the case will now be heard by the Court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate,” a CBI officer said, requesting anonymity.

The CBI had registered a first information report (FIR) regarding the alleged scam on June 9, 2025, based on “source information”. The FIR was registered against private individuals, “unknown officers” of the NTA and unknown others, under sections of the PC Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with criminal conspiracy, influencing public servants by corrupt/illegal means or personal influence.

According to the FIR, the accused persons contacted parents of medical aspirants who had appeared in the NEET 2025 exam for undergraduate courses, claiming they could unduly influence NTA officials and manipulate NEET scores in lieu of ₹90 lakh, payable in two installments.

To verify the allegations, two CBI officers posing as parents of medical aspirants met one of the accused persons at a prominent hotel in the city, said sources in the probe agency. The accused claimed he could influence NTA officials to manipulate marks of candidates deemed ineligible due to low scores, and sought ₹90 lakh per candidate, which was brought down to ₹87.5 lakh after negotiation. Both the entrapped person and another accused were arrested in June, the sources said.