CBI probe prima facie shows NEET-UG paper leak syndicate, says court

A special court in Delhi has taken cognisance of a Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheet against 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, observing that the investigation prima facie points to the formation of an organised syndicate to compromise the examination for monetary gain. The Special Fast Track Court, presided over by Special Judge Ajay Gupta, took cognisance of the chargesheet in a detailed 22-page order uploaded on Thursday. The accused include three subject experts engaged by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Court takes cognisance

The court said there was sufficient material at this stage to proceed against the accused for offences alleged by the CBI. According to the investigation, a network involving subject experts, intermediaries and others was allegedly created to obtain confidential NEET-UG question papers and pass them on to selected candidates in return for money. The court noted that the material collected by the investigating agency prima facie indicated the existence of a conspiracy and a paper leak syndicate. The findings are preliminary, and the allegations against the accused will have to be established during trial.

Three NTA experts accused

A significant part of the case centres on three subject experts associated with the NTA who had access to confidential examination material.

The CBI has alleged that the experts breached the secrecy obligations imposed on them and provided confidential question-paper content to other members of the alleged network.

The Delhi court observed that the three experts prima facie committed criminal breach of trust against the NTA, which had engaged them for translation work after obtaining undertakings that they would maintain complete confidentiality.

Their alleged involvement has raised serious questions about the security mechanisms used to protect examination material at the stage of preparation itself.

Leak allegedly for money

The CBI's chargesheet alleges that confidential papers were passed through intermediaries before eventually reaching candidates who had agreed to pay for access.

Investigators have alleged that the operation extended across states and involved different individuals performing specific roles in obtaining, transmitting and distributing the leaked material.

The probe relied heavily on digital evidence to reconstruct the alleged network.

Investigators reportedly used WhatsApp communications and data from the MyGate residential access application to trace contacts and movements involving suspects. A WhatsApp message concerning a gift sent to a chemistry professor emerged as one of the clues that helped investigators follow the trail.

Security lapses flagged

The investigation has also highlighted alleged weaknesses in the NTA's systems for safeguarding confidential examination material.

The CBI flagged issues including inadequate frisking and checking inside the agency's confidential section, gaps in CCTV surveillance and the repeated involvement of the same individuals at different stages of question-paper preparation and finalisation.

Such vulnerabilities, according to the investigation, created opportunities for individuals with legitimate access to sensitive material to allegedly compromise the examination.

The case is therefore not confined to the alleged actions of individual candidates or middlemen but also raises questions about internal safeguards surrounding one of India's most important entrance examinations.

Trial to follow

With the special court taking cognisance of the chargesheet, the case will now move further through the judicial process.

The 13 accused will face proceedings based on the evidence gathered by the CBI, while the court will determine at subsequent stages whether charges should be formally framed against them.

The case has acquired particular significance because the alleged leak originated, according to the CBI, among people entrusted with protecting the confidentiality of the examination itself.

The court's prima facie observations do not amount to a finding of guilt, but its decision to take cognisance means the allegations of an organised NEET-UG paper leak syndicate will now face judicial scrutiny.