A Delhi court has taken cognisance of a CBI charge sheet against 13 accused in the NEET (UG) 2026 exam leak case, noting a prima facie case of a syndicate conspiring for illegal monetary gain. The accused include three subject experts.
Special Fast Track Court, presided over by Special Judge (Fast Track Court) Ajay Gupta, formally took cognisance of the CBI charge sheet filed against 13 accused persons, including three subject experts categorised as public servants, in a detailed 22-page order, uploaded on Thursday.
Court Finds Prima Facie Case
Special Judge Gupta on Wednesday observed that the material collected by the CBI makes it prima facie clear that all 13 accused formed an active part of the NEET (UG) 2026 exam leak syndicate, conspiring together to disseminate and circulate question papers across all three subjects for illegal monetary gain. Cognizance was taken under Section 61(2) read with sections 238, 316(5), 317(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, and Sections 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Experts’ Role and Destruction of Evidence
The court highlighted that subject experts PV Kulkarni, Manisha Mandhare, and Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar breached the written undertakings given to the NTA. Specifically, PV Kulkarni took advantage of lax frisking protocols during translation work to discreetly smuggle out chits and short notes.
The charge sheet has been filed under sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence, Prevention of Corruption Act, and Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The court noted that these experts committed criminal breach of trust against the NTA and engaged in criminal misconduct under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act by selling leaked material disguised as coaching.
The charges note that co-accused individuals actively destroyed leaked examination materials and electronic devices containing relevant evidence. As per the charge-sheet, the accused persons have also destroyed/disposed of the leaked NEET (UG) 2026 Exam material, and some of them have destroyed their electronic devices also containing the relevant material. Their aforesaid criminal acts are fully covered within the provisions of Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which are punishable under Sections 10 and 11 of this Act. (ANI)
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