NTA to CBI: Probe possible Physics questions leak too

THe subject Testing government agency (NTA) has asked the telephone exchange Bureau of investigating (CBI) to see whether Physics questions from the NEET-UG 2026 examination were also leaked, as investigators have not ruled out that the circulated guess papers may have drawn from NTA’s confidential backup question paper set — in addition to Chemistry and Biology questions already established as sold to students for as much as ₹30 lakh at least a week before the May 3 test, people aware of the development said on Wednesday.The backup paper concern is fuelled partly by the volume of questions in the leaked PDFs — the Chemistry document alone contained 104 solved questions, nearly double the 45 that appeared in the actual exam — raising the possibility the surplus may have originated from other sets; one of them possibly a contingency set prepared in case the main paper is compromised. A senior Rajasthan Special Operations Group officer said investigators were not ruling out any possibility on this front, though NTA called it speculation pending CBI findings.“We acted on whatever complaint we received. We got information about chemistry and biology through a whistleblower on May 7 night, three days after the examination. We passed whatever information we had to the CBI and asked them to investigate whether questions from physics were also circulated in PDF form like chemistry and biology,” a senior NTA official said, requesting anonymity.NTA conducted NEET-UG on May 3, with over 2.27 million candidates attempting 180 questions — 45 each from Physics and Chemistry and 90 from Biology, using pen and paper to take the test. It received no complaints specifically about Physics, cancelled the examination on May 12 after finding at least 120 questions in the leaked material overlapped with the actual test, and has scheduled a re-examination on June 21.The CBI has made 10 arrests, including Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, founder of a Latur-based coaching centre; PV Kulkarni, a retired Pune-based Chemistry lecturer; and Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a Pune-based Botany teacher — both Kulkarni and Mandhare having been part of NTA’s NEET-UG 2026 expert panel.Investigators have established that nearly all 90 Biology questions and all 45 Chemistry questions of the May 3 paper were circulated as guess papers at least a week before the examination. An independent analysis of the leaked PDFs by HT confirmed the extent of the overlap.All 45 questions in the second section of the Chemistry PDF — spanning pages 23 to 47 of the 104-question, three-section document — matched the original paper exactly. Among them: a question on statements relating to molality and molarity; a numerical on copper deposited at the cathode after electrolysis of copper sulphate for 10 minutes at 1.5 amperes; an electromotive force calculation for a half-cell with identical figures; and an activation energy numerical with identical values.“Chemistry matches were exact. Biology was not matched in the same way, but the framing and language of the questions had high similarity and the overall volume was significant,” an NTA official said.The Biology PDF contained 307 solved questions across 31 syllabus units. While not always exact reproductions, the overlap was extensive: a question on sex determination in honeybees; one on which animal’s haploid cells divide mitotically to produce gametes — “drone bee” appearing as the correct answer in both versions; a matching-type question on flowering plant anatomy involving Casparian strips, starch sheath, conjunctive tissue and subsidiary cells; one distinguishing male from female frogs; and one on molecular, genetic and species-level diversity for products of economic importance.The material first came to light through a senior teacher at a reputed coaching institute in Sikar, Rajasthan. This person said the PDFs surfaced within an hour of the exam ending.“An hour after the exam was over on May 3, the landlord of one of my junior teachers shared these chemistry and biology PDFs with him, which he had received from his son studying medicine in Kerala. We were shocked. We began analysing the guess papers against the original paper. All 135 questions matched, which prompted us to approach the police and then email NTA flagging a possible leak,” the whistleblower said.On the surplus questions, the whistleblower raised the backup paper possibility directly. “I believe either the rest of the questions came from the backup paper or someone from within the system informed the culprits which paper would be used on exam day. I hope investigators uncover the entire truth. Such leaks ruin the future of thousands of students,” he said.NTA said the possibility would be part of the probe. “As for speculation around the backup paper and whether any of those questions surfaced in leaked material, that is now part of the investigation and will be established through the CBI probe,” an official said.A senior Rajasthan SOG officer confirmed that whistleblowers had flagged the overlap to state investigators, who subsequently informed the CBI. “Although we could not verify the backup paper set, we are not ruling out any possibility. The matter is now with the CBI for further analysis,” the officer said.Investigators remain uncertain how the questions were extracted despite NTA’s multilayered security protocol. People familiar with the paper-setting process said the leak could only have occurred in printed form from the agency’s “bunker-like” paper-preparation zone, suggesting insider involvement. NTA said it had given the CBI a free hand to establish accountability.“Apart from three or four subject experts, the process for 12 languages involves two sets of translators — one that translates the paper into regional languages and another that independently translates it back into English to verify accuracy. That means roughly two dozen people are part of the exercise. But it takes only one bad actor to compromise the system; that does not mean everyone involved is dishonest,” an NTA official said.“Our immediate focus is preparations for the June 21 re-examination,” the official added.Asked about security changes for the re-test, another official declined specifics. “These are confidential details. We will strengthen security and examine every level of paper-setting thoroughly. We do not want exam mafia to know anything they can misuse. Paper leaks are organised crime and we have to be extremely careful,” the official said.