How 3 NTA Experts Leaked NEET-UG 2026 Paper: Chits To Memorising Questions, The Breach Explained
News explainers How 3 NTA Experts Leaked NEET-UG 2026 Paper: Chits To Memorising Questions, The Breach Explained How 3 NTA Experts Leaked NEET-UG 2026 Paper
News explainers How 3 NTA Experts Leaked NEET-UG 2026 Paper: Chits To Memorising Questions, The Breach Explained How 3 NTA Experts Leaked NEET-UG 2026 Paper: Chits To Memorising Questions, The Breach Explained Published By, Last Updated: August 07, 2026, 18:44 IST NEET-UG CBI chargesheet names 3 experts: The 2026 breach happened directly inside the NTA's confidential paper-setting section before the secure chain of custody even began Rapid Read The experts systematically marked relevant paragraphs, diagrams, and questions inside standard NCERT textbooks during the moderation process. (File) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheet has alleged that three Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts leaked the NEET-UG 2026 question paper by exploiting massive gaps in the NTA’s internal security. Unlike previous leaks that occurred during transit or at test centres, the 2026 breach happened directly inside the NTA’s confidential paper-setting section before the secure chain of custody even began. MODUS OPERANDI OF THE EXPERTS The main accused — PV Kulkarni (Chemistry), Manisha Mandhare (Botany), and Manisha Havaldar (Physics) — got authorised internal access to compromise the system through specific methods.
During the translation and back-translation stages, experts were given plain paper sheets for rough work. The Chemistry expert reportedly used these sheets to write down brief details of all 135 Chemistry questions onto small chits, according to NDTV report. The experts systematically marked relevant paragraphs, diagrams, and questions inside standard NCERT textbooks during the moderation process. Because they spent significant time reviewing the final master sets, the experts simply memorised the questions to reproduce them accurately later, said reports. SYSTEMIC LAPSES THAT ALLOWED THE LEAK The CBI highlighted severe structural and operational failures at the NTA headquarters that enabled the experts to slip the information out undetected. The NTA did not implement a policy to search or frisk subject experts upon entering or exiting the secure, confidential section. This allowed them to smuggle out handwritten chits effortlessly. The NTA lacked a dedicated, live-feed CCTV control room. The actions of the experts inside the confidential hall went entirely unnoticed by security personnel.
Ideally, no single expert should see the final combined paper. However, the NTA allowed the same experts to participate across multiple stages, giving individual teachers complete access to all four final master sets of the exam. DISTRIBUTION AND THE MONEY TRAIL Once the questions were smuggled out, they were commercialized through an organized syndicate. The experts shared the reproduced questions with coaching center operators and retired professors in cities like Pune. The leaked questions were compiled into targeted “guess papers" and distributed via WhatsApp, Telegram, and secret coaching sessions to select aspirants weeks before the exam. Mid-level brokers paid upwards of ₹5 lakh to internal sources to secure the content, subsequently selling the paper to desperate candidates to recoup their investments. The gravity of this insider breach ultimately forced the Testing Agency to cancel the May 3 examination entirely, triggering a national scandal and a full-scale institutional overhaul.
The BriefWire