ED steps into NEET-UG paper leak case, seeks CBI's records

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has formally sought the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) complete case records in the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, as the financial crimes agency examines the alleged financial trail behind the examination scandal, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The ED has sought the CBI’s charge sheet, witness statements, relied-upon documents and other case material through official channels. The request marks the first time the financial crimes investigation agency has formally sought information from the CBI in connection with the case.

Also read: ‘NEET exam system foolproof, difficult to breach’: Centre to SC after paper leak

ED seeks financial angle in alleged examination scam

The move could add a new dimension to the investigation. While the CBI has investigated the alleged conspiracy behind the leak -- from the setting of the question papers to the beneficiary candidates - the ED is examining the alleged financial aspects of the case and transactions connected with the alleged irregularities.

The ED has not yet registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. People familiar with the matter said the agency is seeking to study the CBI material while it waits for the ongoing court proceedings in the CBI case to conclude.

“We definitely want to investigate a financial angle in the NEET-UG paper leak, but we will wait for CBI’s court proceedings to get over, which are currently ongoing in a fast-track court in Delhi,” an officer said, requesting anonymity. “For now, we have approached the CBI through proper official channels for its charge sheet, relied-upon documents and other case files so that we can study the alleged irregularities,” the officer added.

Also read: From AIPMT to NEET: A decade of paper leak scandals that shook India's education system

CBI charge sheet names 13 accused in leak case

The CBI filed its charge sheet earlier this month against all 13 people arrested in the case, saying its investigation had traced the alleged leak from the paper setters to beneficiary candidates and uncovered the alleged conspiracy.

The three paper setters appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA)-- Manisha Gurunath Mandhare for Botany and Zoology, Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni for Chemistry, and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar for Physics -- have been named as accused in the case.

According to the CBI charge sheet, Kulkarni allegedly transcribed 135 Chemistry questions, along with their answer options, onto small pieces of paper and took them out of the confidential area. Mandhare and Havaldar allegedly memorised questions and their parameters and later reconstructed them with the help of textbooks, according to the agency’s case.

Also read: Delhi court flags ‘criminal breach of trust’ by 3 experts in NEET-UG paper leak

Agency relies on 360 witnesses, 422 documents

The CBI has invoked provisions relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and destruction of evidence, besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The agency has relied on 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects to support its case. All 13 people named in the charge sheet are in judicial custody, while the CBI is continuing its further investigation.

The CBI has so far said that no NTA official has been found involved in the alleged leak.

The government has subsequently announced changes to the NTA’s examination system. The education ministry said on August 17 that more than 50 NTA staff had been removed and 10 professional leadership positions were being filled. The NTA subsequently said its examination team had been revamped, with 600 subject experts removed and new experts brought in, besides the introduction of a four-tier question-paper scrutiny system.