CBI charge sheet in NEET UG leak may not name officials

THe telephone exchange Bureau of investigating (CBI) has concluded that no authorities functionary — including NTA power bearers — was involved in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak, with investigators determining that the question papers were taken out of the National Testing Agency by the teachers it had contracted to set them, people familiar with the development said.The agency will file its charge sheet this month. All 13 persons arrested in the case are private individuals, including three teachers allegedly at the heart of the leaks — PV Kulkarni for Chemistry, Manisha Mandhare for Biology, and Manisha Havaldar for Physics. “In the past two months, we have not come across any evidence that suggests involvement of any government officer, including NTA office bearers, in the paper leak. The question papers were leaked by paper-setter teachers contracted by the NTA,” an officer said, requesting anonymity.Also read: Re-NEET Result Date 2026: NTA to declare NTA NEET results by July 20, know when counselling is expected to beginThe absence of government officials from the charge sheet has a procedural consequence: the Central Bureau of Investigation will not need to obtain prosecution sanction before filing.The agency is currently analysing voluminous records — thousands of documents collected from NTA, the arrested individuals, students, and coaching centres across multiple cities, as well as call detail records from as many as 170 cellphones, laptops, and hard drives.The charge sheet will consolidate the investigation’s findings on the three teachers. Kulkarni, one of NTA’s Chemistry paper-setters, organised special coaching classes at his Pune residence in April 2026 with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare, where leaked Chemistry questions with answer options and correct answers were dictated to selected students; their handwritten notes matched the actual paper.Also read: 3 teachers behind leaking NEET questions to be named in CBI chargesheetMandhare, a Botany lecturer, had access to Botany and Zoology questions as early as April 27; she mobilised students through Waghmare and held classes at her Pune residence where she disclosed questions and made students note them down.Havaldar, a Physics expert with “complete access” to the Physics questions, allegedly shared them with Mandhare and students.As HT reported last month, after the charge sheet is filed the CBI will also send a detailed assessment report to the government and NTA, listing flaws in the examination process and recommending systematic changes to prevent recurrence.Also read: Students allege leak of UGC-NET Sociology paperThe agency could recommend a complete revamp of NTA’s current examination processes, modelled on the transparency and security protocols of the Union Public Service Commission, alongside improved oversight of NTA-conducted exams.