New Delhi: In a major breakthrough in the NEET 2026 paper leak investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the alleged mastermind behind the leak — a retired chemistry professor who was reportedly part of the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) question paper preparation panel.
The accused has been identified as Professor P.V. Kulkarni, a resident of Latur in Maharashtra, who was arrested from Pune following an extensive investigation by the CBI.
Former NTA Paper Setter Accused of Leaking Questions
According to the CBI, Professor Kulkarni had worked for several years as a domain expert in chemistry and was associated with the panel responsible for preparing NEET examination papers.
Investigators claim that Kulkarni had direct access to the NEET question paper before the examination.
The agency alleged that before the May 3 NEET examination, Kulkarni shared questions and answers with students at his coaching institute. Students reportedly noted down the answers provided by him, and many of the same questions later appeared in the actual NEET examination paper.
Leak Spread Across Multiple Cities
CBI officials stated that in the last week of April, Kulkarni allegedly leaked the paper to several students with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare.
The leaked papers were then reportedly circulated and sold for lakhs of rupees across multiple cities in India.
The investigation has so far led to arrests in:
- Jaipur
- Gurugram
- Nashik
- Pune
- Ahilya Nagar
A total of eight arrests have been made in the case till now.
Coaching Centre Link Under Scanner
Investigators revealed that Kulkarni also operated a coaching centre and allegedly used it to distribute leaked content to selected students before the exam.
The CBI reportedly reached Kulkarni after interrogating co-accused Manisha Waghmare.
Government Admits Major Systemic Challenge
Reacting to the scandal, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan acknowledged that examination leak syndicates and organised cheating networks had become a serious systemic challenge.
He stated that loopholes identified during previous years had been addressed, but further reforms were now necessary after the latest incident.
“No one will be spared — whether inside or outside the NTA,” Pradhan said.
He also indicated that the government was strengthening district-level surveillance mechanisms to identify brokers and organised paper leak networks operating across states.
NEET to Go Online from Next Year
In a major reform announcement, the Education Minister confirmed that from next year, the NEET examination will shift towards a Computer-Based Test (CBT) system.
Pradhan stated that the traditional OMR-based examination system was more vulnerable to manipulation and that computer-based exams offered comparatively stronger safeguards.
However, he also acknowledged that cybercrime remained a growing challenge globally.
NEET 2026 Re-Exam Scheduled for June 21
Keeping in mind the future of lakhs of students, the government and NTA have announced that the NEET UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21, 2026.
The exam will be held:
- From 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM
- In offline pen-and-paper mode
- In 13 languages
Students Allowed to Change Exam City
NTA has also introduced special flexibility measures for students appearing in the re-exam.
Candidates will be allowed to:
- Change their current address
- Modify their exam city preference
- Select first and second preferred exam cities
If no new option is selected, previous city preferences will automatically be retained.
The correction window will remain open from:
- May 15 to May 21, 2026 (11:50 PM)
No additional fee will be charged for these modifications.
High-Level NTA Meeting Scheduled
A high-level meeting at the NTA headquarters has also been scheduled to finalise security and operational arrangements for the re-examination.
Admit cards, city intimation slips and other examination details are expected to be released before June 14.
Officials said the agency was making every effort to ensure that no lapse occurs again, considering the future of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.
