CBI files charge sheet against 13 accused in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case

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The charge sheet comes days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post on July 25, in the wake of over a month-long agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party

Published - July 29, 2026 03:30 am IST - NEW DELHI

Abhijeet Dipke, head of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), celebrates with supporters after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leaks, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 13 arrested accused persons in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, the agency said on Tuesday (July 28, 2026). All of them are currently in judicial custody.

The charge sheet comes days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post on July 25, in the wake of over a month-long agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party.

The agency has invoked provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence and other associated charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.

It has cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 material objects in the charge sheet.

The agency registered the case based on a complaint lodged by the Department of Higher Education on May 12, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which was held on May 3. The test was subsequently cancelled.

The CBI formed multiple teams with 72 officials and personnel, along with eight cyber forensic experts, to investigate the case. Searches were carried out at 92 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other States.

“These searches led to the seizure of incriminating material like digital and communication devices, documents etc. Forensic imaging and analysis of the incriminating material has been undertaken,” said the agency, adding that source of the leak was unearthed within weeks.

“The path from source of the leak to the beneficiary candidates was unearthed, leading to the identification of the chain. The first arrest in this case was made on May 13, 2026, it said.

Among the arrested are three National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts in chemistry (P.V. Kulkarni), biology (Manisha Gurunath Mandhare), and physics (Manisha Sanjay Havaldar).

Another key accused is Shivaraj Motegaonkar, a professor and owner of RCC Coaching Institute in Maharashtra’s Latur.

Several alleged intermediaries who sourced and distributed the leaked questions were also held. Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, physics faculty and chief operating officer at APMA Coaching Institute, Pune, was also arrested.

“Digital forensic analysis reports, handwriting expert opinions and academic experts’ opinions regarding leaked questions have been obtained. These reports confirmed the role of the accused in the circulation of leaked questions before the date of examination,” said the CBI. Further investigation is under way.

Published - July 29, 2026 03:30 am IST

education / test/examination

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