New Delhi, August 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against 13 accused in the alleged NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak case and said proceedings on framing of charges would begin from Thursday.
The matter came before the specially designated Fast Track Court at the Rouse Avenue Courts Complex, set up to exclusively hear cases involving offences under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and related offences.
The CBI filed its chargesheet on July 28 against all 13 arrested accused, alleging that confidential NEET-UG question papers were leaked ahead of the May 3 examination through a network involving National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts, middlemen, coaching operators and others.
According to the chargesheet, three NTA subject experts involved in translation, back-translation and proofreading of question papers allegedly removed confidential examination material from the NTA office in Delhi by exploiting security lapses.
The agency alleged that one accused, P.V. Kulkarni, wrote down all 135 Chemistry questions along with their answer options on small slips of paper and concealed them while leaving the confidential section.
The CBI also pointed to the absence of checking or frisking of experts while entering or leaving the confidential section of the NTA.
It further alleged that accused Manisha Gurunath Mandhare used her familiarity with NCERT textbooks to reconstruct questions after returning to her hotel, while Manisha Sanjay Havaldar allegedly made brief notes of Physics questions after returning to her accommodation.
The probe agency also flagged shortcomings in CCTV surveillance at the NTA office. It said CCTV footage was retained for only 20-25 days and there was no dedicated control room for monitoring live feeds from the confidential section.
The CBI has cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects in support of its case.
The 13 accused have been chargesheeted under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
The CBI registered the case on May 12 following a complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education regarding alleged irregularities and leakage of confidential NEET-UG question papers.
The original NEET-UG 2026 examination, conducted on May 3, was subsequently cancelled, and a re-examination was held on June 21 under enhanced security arrangements.
All 13 accused named in the chargesheet are currently in judicial custody.
The case is among the first major matters to come before the specially designated Fast Track Court constituted by the Delhi High Court last month following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of fast-track courts for speedy trials and stringent punishment in examination paper leak cases.
On July 23, the Delhi High Court constituted the special Fast Track Court at the Rouse Avenue Courts Complex and appointed judicial officer Anu Grover Baliga as Special CBI Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act).
The High Court directed that all pending cases registered under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, along with connected offences, be transferred to the newly constituted court with immediate effect.
FOLLOW NOW
