How NEET Experts Sold India's Biggest Medical Exam

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) New Delhi – A sprawling conspiracy involving secret coaching classes, handwritten question notes, Telegram leaks, destroyed mobile phones and digital forensic trails has been laid bare by the CBI in its chargesheet in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, exposing how three National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts allegedly betrayed the country's biggest medical entrance examination for massive financial gain.

The 13 accused, including three NTA-appointed subject experts, now face charges that could result in life imprisonment and fines of up to ₹1 crore under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

ADVERTISEMENTDigital Trail Cracked the Conspiracy

One of the strongest pieces of evidence is not from the examination hall but from a residential society's access-control app in Pune.

According to the CBI, the app recorded biometric entries of students attending“special coaching classes” at the residence of chemistry expert P V Kulkarni, days before the May 3 examination.

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The digital records matched call detail records and mobile phone locations of students and their parents, confirming their presence at Kulkarni's residence where leaked questions were allegedly dictated.

Experts Swore Secrecy, Then Leaked Papers

The chargesheet says the three experts-P V Kulkarni (Chemistry), Manisha Gurunath Mandhare (Biology) and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar (Physics)-had all signed confidentiality undertakings promising they would:

• Not engage in coaching,
• Keep question papers under lock and key,
• Retain no notes or copies,
• Maintain complete secrecy.

Instead, investigators allege they did exactly the opposite.

Kulkarni allegedly conducted special coaching sessions at his Pune residence.

Mandhare reportedly trained selected students while supplying confidential biology questions.

Havaldar allegedly circulated leaked physics questions directly and through associates.

The CBI has treated the trio as“public servants” because they were entrusted with confidential examination material by the NTA.

How the Questions Were Smuggled Out

The chargesheet paints a detailed picture of how the leak allegedly occurred.

During question-setting sessions inside the NTA's highly sanitised facility in Delhi 's Okhla, the experts allegedly reconstructed the papers from memory after returning to their hotel rooms.

Kulkarni is accused of scribbling abbreviated questions and answer options on rough sheets before secretly carrying them out as tiny paper chits. Simpler questions were memorised and rewritten later.

Mandhare and Havaldar allegedly relied largely on memory, reproducing questions on notebooks and textbooks once back in their hotels.

Because the experts worked on different days during March and April, investigators say they had ample time to reconstruct large portions of the paper before returning to Pune.

85% Match With Actual NEET Paper

The leaked material recovered from students, middlemen and coaching centres was examined by an expert panel constituted by Delhi University.

The forensic comparison found that:

• The leaked questions matched up to 85% of actual NEET question sets.
• The highest match occurred with the exact paper sets handled by the accused experts.
• Sets they never accessed showed the lowest similarity.

Investigators say this provides strong scientific evidence linking the experts to the leaked papers.

Beautician Turned Key Link

Perhaps the most unusual figure in the conspiracy is Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, a beautician whom the CBI describes as a crucial conduit.

She allegedly planted students in the coaching classes conducted by Kulkarni and Mandhare.

After every session, she collected notebooks containing dictated questions, many marked“Important” and“Very Important.”

Those notes allegedly travelled through a chain of middlemen to candidates across Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra.

Telegram PDFs, Burnt Phones and Deleted Chats

The investigation accelerated after forensic experts recovered deleted WhatsApp conversations, Telegram PDFs and erased files from seized mobile phones.

Among the first arrests were three Rajasthan-based accused whose phones contained leaked PDFs received on Telegram on April 29, four days before the examination.

One accused, Dhananjay Lokhande, allegedly attempted to destroy his phone before investigators arrested him.

Read Also NEET Leak: Biometrics, Phone Data Expose Paper Leak Network Centre to Explain NEET Paper Chain to SC

Despite the effort, digital forensic experts reportedly recovered crucial evidence from multiple devices.

Coaching Centre Also Under Scanner

The CBI has named Shivraj Raghunath Mutgaonkar, owner of a coaching institute in Latur, as an accused.

According to investigators, he obtained leaked chemistry questions through middlemen and distributed them among students in exchange for money.

Mastermind Nabbed After Chain of Arrests

The agency launched simultaneous raids across multiple states beginning May 13.

Within days it arrested:

• P V Kulkarni
• Manisha Mandhare
• Manisha Havaldar
• Beautician Manisha Waghmare
• Coaching centre owner Shivraj Mutgaonkar
• Several middlemen and facilitators from Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi.

All 13 accused are currently in judicial custody.

Life Term, ₹1 Crore Fine

The three NTA experts face some of the toughest provisions available under India's new anti-paper leak law.

Apart from conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and corruption charges, they have also been booked under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, where organised paper leaks attract 5 to 10 years' imprisonment and a minimum ₹1 crore fine.

The criminal breach of trust charge under the BNS carries the possibility of life imprisonment.

Exam Cancelled, Minister Quit

Following nationwide outrage over the leak, the NTA cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 12. A fresh examination was held on June 21.

The controversy also claimed a major political casualty, with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigning after weeks of protests demanding accountability over the scandal.

The chargesheet portrays the leak not as an isolated breach but as an organised operation in which confidential examination material was allegedly reconstructed, circulated and monetised through a network of experts, middlemen and coaching operators, undermining one of India's most competitive entrance examinations.

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