New Delhi, August 14: A court in New Delhi has approved the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) request to expand its inquiry into the NEET-UG paper leak case. This decision, made on Friday, allows the CBI to gather evidence against additional suspects linked to the case.
The special fast-track court’s ruling enables the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the activities of these new suspects, who emerged prior to the NEET-UG exam that was scheduled for May 3 but was later canceled.
According to legal sources, the CBI’s petition indicated that investigations are ongoing against several other suspects in addition to the 13 individuals already charged. The agency stated that while the investigation against these 13 accused has been completed, the roles of other individuals in the paper leak incident still need to be examined.
Earlier this week, the court acknowledged the CBI’s charge sheet against the 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak case. On July 28, the CBI filed this charge sheet, alleging that confidential question papers were leaked through a network involving subject experts from the National Testing Agency (NTA), intermediaries, coaching operators, and others before the May 3 exam.
The charge sheet claims that three subject experts from the NTA, responsible for translating, re-translating, and proofreading the question papers, exploited security lapses to remove confidential questions from the NTA office in Delhi.
The CBI reported that one of the accused, P.V. Kulkarni, allegedly wrote down all 135 questions and answer options for the chemistry section on small pieces of paper and concealed them while exiting the confidential section.
Additionally, the CBI highlighted the lack of security measures for inspecting or searching experts entering or exiting the NTA’s confidential section.
Another accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandare, reportedly used her knowledge from NCERT books to recreate questions after returning to her hotel. Meanwhile, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar allegedly summarized physics questions upon returning to her location.
The agency also pointed out deficiencies in the CCTV surveillance system at the NTA office, noting that backup footage was only available for 20 to 25 days and that there was no separate live-feed control room for monitoring the confidential section.
In support of its case, the CBI has referenced 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 physical pieces of evidence.
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