No NTA official involved in NEET 2026 paper leak: CBI

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has found no evidence of the involvement of any government official, including National Testing Agency (NTA) office bearers, in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case.

According to officials familiar with the investigation, the leaked question papers were allegedly shared by teachers who had been appointed by the NTA to prepare the examination papers.

The NEET UG 2026 exam was conducted on May 3 by the National Testing Agency and was held from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in pen-and-paper mode. Over 22.7 lakh aspirants appeared for the examination this year. It took place across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, covering over 5,400 centres.

However, on May 12, 2026, the NTA declared the examination held on May 3 cancelled and subsequently announced a re-examination on June 21, 2026.

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.

In the aftermath of the exam cancellation, protests were held, with aspirants and members of the medical fraternity condemning NTA and the Education Ministry for the failure.

Due to the alleged controversy, the central government decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations. Based on the Centre's direction, the CBI registered an FIR in the case and so far arrested 13 people.

The agency is expected to file its charge sheet later this month. All 13 people named in the case are private individuals, including three teachers accused of leaking the Chemistry, Biology, and Physics question papers.

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"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 told HT requesting anonymity.

Since no government officials have been named as accused, the agency will not require prior prosecution sanction before filing the charge sheet.

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.

Apart from filing the charge sheet, the CBI is also expected to submit a separate report to the Central government and the NTA highlighting weaknesses in the examination process. The report is likely to recommend major reforms to strengthen the security and transparency of NTA examinations.

The 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.

Rajasthan SOG Investigates Rs 20 Crore Mining Contract Awarded to Accused's Family

The Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) is investigating whether money allegedly earned through multiple examination paper leak cases was used to secure a Rs 20-crore river sand mining contract awarded to the family of absconding accused Dhaka.

The mining lease was granted in December 2025 to a construction firm owned by Dhaka's father. The five-year contract covers gravel mining in the Raipur area of Beawar district.

As per officials, the lease was awarded despite protests by residents of 10 nearby villages against the proposed mining project. Mining activities reportedly began around two months ago.

As part of the investigation, the SOG conducted searches on Thursday at the mining site and other properties linked to the Dhaka family, reports TNIE.

The SOG alleged that the accused had started planning the leak in June 2022 and that teachers and MBBS doctors were allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh each to solve examination papers.

The accused remains absconding. The SOG has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to his arrest. SOG Additional Director General Vishal Bansal said that the agency obtained a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Dhaka from the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 3, 2026, and efforts to trace him are continuing.

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