NEET Paper Leak: CBI Chargesheet Reveals How Questions Escaped NTA, Names 3 Experts as Sources
The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak allegedly originated from within the National Testing Agency's (NTA) question-setting process, with the CBI naming three subject experts as the primary sources of the leaked questions, according to its chargesheet.
The agency has identified P V Kulkarni (chemistry), Manisha Sanjay Havaldar (physics) and Manisha Gurunath Mandhare (botany and zoology) as key accused in the case. The CBI filed its chargesheet against 13 accused before a special court on July 28.
According to the chargesheet, the three experts exploited gaps in security procedures while working in the NTA's confidential section in Delhi. Experts were provided plain sheets for rough work during translation and back-translation, which allegedly allowed them to record questions and take the information outside.
Kulkarni allegedly wrote all 135 chemistry questions in brief, along with answer options, on small chits and secretly carried them out. He allegedly memorised easier questions and reconstructed them after returning to his hotel.
Mandhare allegedly marked relevant portions of NCERT textbooks after completing her work, using her experience with the syllabus to identify material corresponding to questions. Havaldar allegedly noted down physics questions after returning to her accommodation.
The CBI said the alleged activities went undetected because of weak access controls, inadequate frisking and the absence of a dedicated CCTV live-feed monitoring control room at the NTA office.
Investigators also traced the alleged leak through digital evidence. Records from an access-control application at Kulkarni's residential society in Pune allegedly showed students and parents visiting him for special coaching sessions before the examination. Call-data records and mobile-location analysis were cited to corroborate these visits.
The investigation allegedly uncovered a network connecting the experts with middlemen, coaching operators and candidates. The CBI said leaked material was circulated to aspirants in states including Rajasthan and Haryana, with some deals allegedly involving payments of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.
The agency also highlighted forensic evidence. The Government Examiner of Questioned Documents reportedly matched handwriting on seized question material with that of the accused experts. A Delhi University panel also found substantial similarities between recovered material and several NEET-UG question-paper sets.
The CBI has alleged that Manisha Sanjay Waghmare acted as a link between candidates and the experts, helping obtain leaked material and facilitating its distribution.
The chargesheet, according to the agency, reveals a coordinated chain in which procedural lapses inside the examination system allegedly allowed confidential questions to move from NTA-linked experts to intermediaries and ultimately to candidates before the test.