CBI charge sheet in NEET UG leak may not name officials

The CBI found no government officials involved in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak. The charge sheet will be filed this month, focusing on 13 private individuals

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has concluded that no government official — including NTA office bearers — was involved in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak, with investigators determining that the question papers were taken out of the National Testing Agency by the teachers it had contracted to set them, people familiar with the development said.

Accused Prahalad Kulkarni being brought to Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, (ANI Video Grab)

The agency will file its charge sheet this month. All 13 persons arrested in the case are private individuals, including three teachers allegedly at the heart of the leaks — PV Kulkarni for Chemistry, Manisha Mandhare for Biology, and Manisha Havaldar for Physics. “In the past two months, we have not come across any evidence that suggests involvement of any government officer, including NTA office bearers, in the paper leak. The question papers were leaked by paper-setter teachers contracted by the NTA,” an officer said, requesting anonymity.

The agency is currently analysing voluminous records — thousands of documents collected from NTA, the arrested individuals, students, and coaching centres across multiple cities, as well as call detail records from as many as 170 cellphones, laptops, and hard drives.

The charge sheet will consolidate the investigation’s findings on the three teachers. Kulkarni, one of NTA’s Chemistry paper-setters, organised special coaching classes at his Pune residence in April 2026 with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare, where leaked Chemistry questions with answer options and correct answers were dictated to selected students; their handwritten notes matched the actual paper.

Mandhare, a Botany lecturer, had access to Botany and Zoology questions as early as April 27; she mobilised students through Waghmare and held classes at her Pune residence where she disclosed questions and made students note them down.

Havaldar, a Physics expert with “complete access” to the Physics questions, allegedly shared them with Mandhare and students.

As HT reported last month, after the charge sheet is filed the CBI will also send a detailed assessment report to the government and NTA, listing flaws in the examination process and recommending systematic changes to prevent recurrence.

The agency could recommend a complete revamp of NTA’s current examination processes, modelled on the transparency and security protocols of the Union Public Service Commission, alongside improved oversight of NTA-conducted exams.