New Delhi: The CBI charge sheet states that professors from the National Testing Agency (NTA) sold the NEET question paper for money.
The NEET entrance examination for medical undergraduate courses was held on May 3. It was discovered that the question paper for this exam had leaked in advance. Following this, the NEET entrance exam was canceled, and the NEET re-exam was held on June 21. The CBI has registered a case regarding the NEET question paper leak. 72 senior officers and 8 forensic experts from the agency are conducting an intensive investigation.
In connection with the case, those arrested include Manisha Gurunath, a botany professor who was part of the National Testing Agency’s NEET question paper preparation committee; chemistry professor P.V. Kulkarni; physics professor Manisha Sanjay Havaldar; private NEET coaching center director Shivaraj Raghunath; beautician Manisha Wakmare; middlemen Dhananjay Lokhande, Shubham Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Bival, Dinesh Bival, and Vikash Bival; doctor Manoj Shirure; and private NEET coaching center teacher Harshad Kumar Shah.
The case is being heard in the CBI court in the Delhi Rose Avenue complex. On July 28, the CBI filed a 94-page chargesheet in court. Its details have now been made public. The CBI chargesheet states:
Botany professor Manisha Gurunath, chemistry professor P.V. Kulkarni, and physics professor Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, who were part of the National Testing Agency’s NEET question paper preparation team, sold the NEET question paper for money.
During the preparation of the NEET question paper, all three of them memorized the questions. They then returned to the hotel where they were staying and wrote the questions down by hand. The questions prepared as handwritten copies by the three were sold for a large sum to broker Dhananjay Lokhande from Maharashtra. From him, Shubham Khairnar from Haryana purchased the NEET question paper. After that, the NEET question paper was sold one after another to Yash Yadav, Mangilal Bival, Dinesh Bival, and Vikash.
Through these intermediaries, NEET question papers were sold to many people via social media platforms including Telegram. In the final stage, question papers were sold to students who had prepared for the NEET exam for anywhere between Rs. 12 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh per paper. Searches have so far been conducted at 92 locations in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra in connection with the question paper leak from intermediaries.
Statements have been recorded from 360 witnesses. 20,000 pages of documents have been attached to the charge sheet. Electronic devices used by the accused, including mobile phones and laptops, have been seized. This has been stated in the charge sheet.