New Delhi: The 2026 NEET paper leak was meant to remain confined to a select group of students, with no digital evidence left behind. It, however, came to light only after an accused reconstructed the question paper, circulated it, and left a digital trail that caught the attention of investigators and led them to this network, ThePrint has learnt.
According to the first chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the NEET question paper was never circulated in digital form outside a tightly controlled network. Instead, select students were allegedly made to write down questions during special coaching sessions conducted by three subject experts of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The trio—P.V.Kulkarni, who allegedly had access to the entire question paper set, chemistry expert Pralhad Vithalrao Kulkarni, and physics expert Manisha Sanjay Havaldar—are accused of dictating the questions to a group of 10-15 students, ensuring there was no electronic trail.
The activities might have remained undetected but one unexpected turn unravelled the entire operation.
Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, a beauty parlour owner and one of the accused now in custody, allegedly tracked down one of the students who had attended these sessions and asked him to recall every question he had memorised. She then allegedly got the reconstructed paper printed and sold copies to multiple entities for hefty sums, according to the CBI chargesheet.
It was this reconstructed paper that allegedly made way into the paper leak network, moving from Pune-based middleman Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande to Nashik-based middleman Shubham Madhukar Khairnar before reaching Rajasthan via Telegram, ultimately alerting investigators, CBI sources told ThePrint.
“If Waghmare had not reconstructed and circulated the paper, the leak would likely have remained confined to the select study groups coached by the three NTA subject experts, and no one would have discovered it,” one of the sources said.
Days after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation following nationwide protests over the 2026 NEET UG question paper leak, the CBI Tuesday filed its first chargesheet against all 13 arrested accused, including Kulkarni.
According to the CBI, Kulkarni allegedly earned at least Rs 21 lakh by leaking the question paper to students he also coached, along with the two other subject experts.
The questions, the investigators said, were then passed on to a network of associates, including operators of coaching institutes, counselling centres and other intermediaries. It was then allegedly sold further down the chain to aspirants and families, for varying amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh.
A source said that no evidence of a criminal syndicate specialising in paper leaks has emerged during the investigation. “Instead, what has come to light is a network of people running coaching institutes who allegedly sought to ensure that students enrolled with them cleared the examination, thereby enhancing the reputation of the institutes and attracting more business.”
‘Got paper handwritten & typed’
The three NTA subject experts, the CBI sources said, leaked the question paper, both for financial gain and to boost the success rate of the tuition classes they held by giving students advance access to the questions.
“They held home tuitions with small batches of 10 to 20 students, making them write down the questions. The CBI has now seized those handwritten notes,” a source said.
“Their motive was to make money by assuring students they would help them crack the exam while simultaneously enhancing the reputation of their coaching network. Better results would attract more students and, ultimately, more money.”
According to the source, the leak became a large-scale commercial operation only after Manisha Sanjay Waghmare reconstructed the question paper after she got hold of the student.
“She tracked down one of the students who had attended these coaching sessions and got him to type out the questions at her shop. She then reconstructed the entire paper and sold it to a person in Pune for Rs 10 lakh. That person allegedly passed it on to Nashik, where it was sold again for Rs 10-15 lakh,” the source said.
“Once the paper got out, its value kept increasing. That is how the chain expanded until it eventually reached the Dinesh Bilwal family in Rajasthan.”
On 3 May, more than 22 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG examination across India.
Just four days later, on 7 May, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Sharma received a crucial tip-off that a so-called “guess paper” was circulating among aspirants. The document contained 410 questions, of which 120 Chemistry and Biology questions matched the actual NEET paper exactly—in the same order and with identical answer options.
As investigators began tracing the origin of the document, they uncovered a chain that, according to the CBI investigation, led all the way back to the National Testing Agency. This reconstructed question paper and its digital trail ultimately enabled investigators to crack the alleged leak network, the CBI sources said.
Subsequently, the NEET exam was cancelled and reconducted 21 June. The results were declared 16 July.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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