The CBI has filed a 20,000-page chargesheet in the NEET UG paper leak case. The Special Fast Track Court at Rouse Avenue on Wednesday granted the agency three days to file all documents, list of statements and articles filed, as per the chargesheet. The CBI counsel submitted in court that the chargesheet and documents run into around 20,000 pages.
The CBI counsel said these voluminous documents are being scanned and therefore, time is required for this process as the documents have to be supplied to the 13 accused persons, upon which Special Fast Track Court Judge Anu Grover Baliga granted three days for filing all the annexures and listed the chargesheet for consideration on August 3.
Deputy legal advisor A P Singh, senior public prosecutor V K Pathak, and public prosecutor Arjun Anand were present during the hearing.
The CBI has filed the chargesheet against 13 accused for offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence, and others under the BNS, for the offence of criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for offences under the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The CBI cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects in this chargesheet. All 13 chargesheeted persons are in judicial custody as of now.
The agency said the Union Department of Higher Education had lodged a written complaint on May 12 regarding irregularities and allegations of paper leak in the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.
The CBI said it registered the FIR on May 12 and immediately formed multiple teams with 72 officers/personnel, along with eight cyber forensic experts. Searches were conducted at 92 locations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other states. These searches led to seizure of incriminating material like digital and communication devices, documents, etc. Forensic imaging and analysis of the incriminating material has been undertaken.
The first arrest in this case was made on May 13. The 13 accused arrested in the case included three NTA subject experts of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Several middlemen who have sourced and distributed leaked questions have also been identified and arrested.
Two individuals associated with coaching institutes have been arrested for obtaining leaked question papers from the subject experts. A money trail analysis was done and several bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account of the accused have been frozen, the CBI said.
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