NEET Paper Leak Accused: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested P.V. Kulkarni, a Chemistry lecturer from Pune, in the NEET-UG paper leak case. Reports say he was part of the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency, which gave him access to the question papers. Kulkarni is originally from Latur and was picked up from his home in Pune. The CBI has described him as the alleged main source behind the leak.
The case became bigger after the CBI took over the probe on May 7, 2026, and registered a case on May 12 based on a complaint from the Union Ministry of Education. Officials later searched several places and seized documents, phones, and other electronic items for forensic checking. The exam itself was held on May 3, 2026, and the controversy quickly spread after the leak came to light in Rajasthan.
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How the Questions were Allegedly Shared
Investigators say Kulkarni, along with another accused, Manisha Waghmare, arranged special coaching sessions at his Pune home during the last week of April 2026. During these sessions, he allegedly dictated the questions, the answer choices, and the correct answers. Students then wrote them down in notebooks. Reports say those notes later matched the real NEET-UG 2026 question paper very closely.
The CBI statement quoted in the reports said, “The probe so far has brought out the actual source of the leakage of the Chemistry paper as well as the middlemen involved in mobilising the students who paid several lakhs of rupees to attend the special coaching classes where these question banks were dictated/discussed. The CBI is committed to a comprehensive, impartial and professional investigation in this case”
More Arrests
By May 14, the CBI had arrested seven suspects in the case from Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, and Ahilyanagar. Five of them were already sent to court and placed in seven-day police custody for questioning. The other two were being produced before a Pune court so the agency could seek transit remand and move them to Delhi for further probe.
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The investigation is still moving forward, and more details are expected after the forensic work is finished. For now, the arrest of Kulkarni is being seen as the biggest step yet in the case because he allegedly had direct access to the exam material through his role with NTA.
