NEET 2026 paper leak case: Pune school principal shared questions for money, CBI tells court

Pune: A Pune school principal, arrested in connection with the NEET 2026 paper leak case, allegedly shared examination-related questions and content with a few students for monetary benefits. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently told a court on the NEET matter.

NEET 2026 was conducted on May 3. However, the exam was soon cancelled over an alleged paper leak and a re-exam was announced. This came in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” which reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.

CBI is currently investigating the case.

Now, according to latest PTI report, the federal agency made the submission while seeking the remand of school principal, sources said on Sunday.

The CBI arrested the accused on Friday, calling her another “source” of the alleged paper leak. The principal reportedly worked as an empanelled translator for Physics for the National Eligibility Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG)-2026.

Following her arrest, she was produced before a court in Pune and is currently in transit remand. She is likely to be produced in a Delhi court on Monday.

The CBI informed the Pune court that its investigation into the case showed that she, in collusion with botany teacher, now in custody, allegedly shared NEET-related questions and content with a few students in exchange for monetary benefits.

Sources said the CBI told the court that handwritten notes containing NEET-related questions were prepared and retained by her during her NTA (National Testing Agency) assignment.

The confidential material was allegedly used to convey examination-related content to some students before the NEET UG-2026 exam through WhatsApp and printouts.

The accused admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG-2026, which she had translated or reverse-translated, with one student and with a botany lecturer from Modern College of Arts and Science in Pune, the sources said.

The probe found that she allegedly received Rs 20,000 from one student and Rs 25,000 from another person, CBI told the court, according to the sources.

She allegedly deleted all her chats with the botany teqacher and burnt the notes containing the Physics question bank, they added.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG held on May 3 for medical admissions following allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.

The CBI registered its case in the matter on the same day, based on a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Education Ministry.

So far, 11 accused have been arrested in this case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune, Latur and Ahliyanagar, a CBI spokesperson said on Friday.

The investigation so far has brought out the actual source of the paper leak, the agency said.