New Delhi has seen a decisive turn in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday filed a supplementary chargesheet before a Delhi court, naming a 14th accused in the scandal that shook India’s medical entrance examination system earlier this year.
Special Judge Ajay Gupta, who is presiding over the case in the designated fast-track court, directed that a copy of the supplementary chargesheet be supplied to the counsel of the newly named accused and posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday.
Who is the 14th accused
The latest chargesheet names Sheshrao Bajrang Suryawanshi alias Raj Suryawanshi, a resident of Nanded in Maharashtra, who was arrested on September 2. The CBI has described him as a close associate of co-accused Shubham Khairnar.
According to the agency, Suryawanshi worked in collusion with Khairnar to distribute the leaked medical entrance examination paper among candidates in Nanded and collect money from their families in return. Investigators allege that he asked candidates to gather at a spot in Nanded where the paper was handed over to them.
In a detail that underlines the commercial scale of the operation, the CBI says Suryawanshi kept the candidates’ original documents, including educational certificates and identity cards, so that the families would be forced to complete the payment after the examination.
The case so far
The CBI filed its first chargesheet in the case on July 28, naming 13 accused. The list reads like a map of the leak network: three subject experts appointed by the National Testing Agency, middlemen operating across Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and the owner of a coaching institute in Latur.
- Manisha Gurunath Mandhare: NTA-appointed expert for Botany and Zoology
- Pralhad Vithalrao Kulkarni: NTA-appointed expert for Chemistry, alleged to be the mastermind
- Manisha Sanjay Havaldar: NTA-appointed expert for Physics
- Manisha Sanjay Waghmare: described by the CBI as a prime conspirator and the link between candidates and the subject experts
- Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar: owner of RCC Coaching Institute in Latur
- Seven others, including the Biwal family members and middlemen like Dinesh Biwal, Mangilal Biwal, Vikash Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Shubham Khairnar and Yash Yadav
The agency’s crackdown began on May 13. Mangilal, Dinesh and Vikas Biwal were arrested in Rajasthan after leaked PDFs were found on their mobile phones, having arrived via Telegram on April 29. The same day brought the arrests of Yash Yadav in Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar in Nashik. Dhananjay Lokhande was picked up in Pune, where he allegedly tried to destroy his phone before being caught. Waghmare was arrested in Pune the next day, Kulkarni in Latur on May 15, Mandhare in Pune on May 16 and Motegaonkar in Latur on May 17.
On August 12, the fast-track court took cognisance of the first chargesheet against the 13 accused. The case before the court relies on 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects, with charges framed under provisions for criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
No NTA or government official named
One detail is already drawing attention. Despite the scale of the leak and the involvement of NTA-appointed subject experts, the supplementary chargesheet does not name any official of the National Testing Agency or any other government official. Officers familiar with the probe have said the investigation has concluded.
That conclusion may surprise many, given the uproar that followed the cancellation of the exam. The NTA had scrapped the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 12, nine days after it was held on May 3, when at least 120 questions in a widely circulated guess paper were found to match the actual examination paper. A re-examination was conducted on June 21.
Reforms the scandal triggered
The leak forced a sweeping overhaul of the examination system. On August 17, the Union Education Ministry removed 50 NTA staff members. The agency later announced it had replaced 600 subject experts and introduced a four-tier question-paper scrutiny system to tighten the chain of custody from paper setting to examination day.
For lakhs of medical aspirants and their families, the reforms matter as much as the court proceedings. The NEET-UG examination decides entry into the country’s medical colleges, and the 2026 leak briefly destroyed confidence in the entire process.
What happens next
With the supplementary chargesheet now on record, the focus shifts to Thursday’s hearing. The court will consider the chargesheet against Suryawanshi and move the case forward. Legal experts say the trial of the 14 accused, with its mountain of digital and documentary evidence, could take months, but the fast-track designation of the court signals that the case is being given priority.
For the students who sat through the cancelled May 3 examination and returned for the June 21 re-test, the message from the courtroom is simpler: the investigation is complete, the accused are named, and the trial is about to begin.
FAQs
What is the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case?
It concerns the leak of the NEET-UG 2026 medical entrance examination paper held on May 3, 2026. The NTA cancelled the exam on May 12 after at least 120 questions matched a leaked guess paper circulated on Telegram.
How many accused has the CBI named?
Fourteen. The first chargesheet on July 28 named 13 accused, including three NTA-appointed subject experts and coaching centre operators. The supplementary chargesheet filed on October 14 named Sheshrao Bajrang Suryawanshi alias Raj Suryawanshi as the 14th accused.
Was any NTA or government official chargesheeted?
No. Neither the original nor the supplementary chargesheet names any NTA official or government official. The investigation, according to officials, has concluded.
What reforms followed the leak?
Fifty NTA staff members were removed, 600 subject experts were replaced, and a four-tier question-paper scrutiny system was introduced to secure the paper-setting chain.
When is the next hearing?
The Delhi court has posted the matter for further proceedings on Thursday, October 15.
The NEET-UG case will now move into its trial phase. We will continue to track the proceedings and bring you updates as the case unfolds.
