The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested a Chemistry teacher involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA), identifying him as the 'kingpin' behind the leak of the NEET-2026 question paper that led to the cancellation of the medical entrance exam.
Arrest of the Accused
PV Kulkarni, the Chemistry lecturer accused in the case, was arrested from Pune. According to the CBI, Kulkarni had access to the question papers owing to his role in conducting examinations for the NTA.
Modus Operandi
'During the last week of April, he (Kulkarni) had mobilised students with the help of another accused, Manish Waghmare, who was arrested on May 14, and conducted special coaching classes at his residence in Pune. He dictated the questions along with options and the correct answers during these special coaching classes, and the questions so dictated were handwritten by students in their notebooks and have exactly tallied with the actual question paper of NEET-UG 2026,' the agency said in a statement, according to ANI.
Impact on NEET-UG 2026
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026 was held on May 3 and cancelled on May 12 after the paper leak came to light. A total of 22.79 lakh students had appeared for the entrance examination, which is conducted for admission to undergraduate medical and dental programmes. This marked the first time in the exam's 13-year history that NEET was cancelled in its entirety.
Arrests and Re-examination
Meanwhile, the CBI said that seven accused had been arrested till Thursday from different parts of the country. Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the re-examination would be held on June 21. He also said that from next year onwards, the test would be conducted in online mode.
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