A Delhi court granted CBI custody of two accused in the widening NEET-UG paper leak investigation.
A Rouse Avenue court granted 10 days’ custody of Manisha Waghmare and Prahalad Kulkarni to the CBI in the NEET UG exam paper leak case. The CBI said that Manisha Waghmare and Kulakarni were in Conspiracy in obtaining and distribution of leaked NEET UG Exam Paper.
The paper leak controversy has reached the Supreme Court, with the United Doctors Front (UDF) filing a petition seeking the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in its current form, even as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed to have arrested the alleged mastermind behind the leak racket.
The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by UDF, has alleged a “systemic and catastrophic failure” in the conduct of NEET-UG 2026 and called for major structural reforms in the country’s examination system.
Filed through Advocate-on-Record Ritu Reniwal along with Advocate Mahendra Kumawat, the plea seeks directions to the Union Government to dissolve the NTA, which currently functions as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and replace it with a statutory national testing authority established through an Act of Parliament. The petition has also sought the creation of a statutory testing body with clearly defined legal powers, transparency safeguards and direct accountability to Parliament. In addition, it has requested the constitution of a court-monitored committee to oversee future national examinations and ensure what it termed “zero-leak integrity”.
The petition relates to the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 for nearly 22.7 lakh candidates, which was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 following allegations of a large-scale paper leak. According to the plea, an organised “guess paper” racket operated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups across multiple states, especially Rajasthan, where several questions allegedly matched the actual paper.
Referring to the Rajasthan SOG probe and the subsequent CBI FIR, the petition claimed the integrity of the examination had been compromised at a systemic level. It alleged that despite safeguards such as biometric verification, GPS tracking and AI-based CCTV monitoring, the paper was leaked nearly 42 hours before the exam.
The plea argued that the cancellation of the examination itself showed that authorities could no longer separate genuine candidates from those who benefited from the leak. It also questioned the NTA’s institutional structure, saying its status as a registered society creates an “accountability vacuum” as it is not directly answerable to Parliament like bodies such as the UPSC or SSC.
According to the petition, repeated examination leaks violate Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution by undermining merit and causing severe mental stress and uncertainty among students. It also cited the Supreme Court’s observations in the 2024 NEET controversy and recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, which reportedly called for stronger safeguards, reduced outsourcing and a gradual shift to computer-based examinations. To understand the issue better, The Sunday Guardian spoke to legal expert Senior Advocate Seema Sindhu, who said repeated paper leaks have exposed major flaws in India’s examination security system, causing severe mental, emotional and financial stress for students.
According to Sindhu, recurring controversies have weakened trust in the examination process and undermined merit. She said that despite stricter anti-paper leak laws introduced by the Centre and states, enforcement remains weak as syndicates use advanced technology while investigative agencies often struggle to dismantle such networks.
Citing the 2002 Western Railway recruitment paper leak case, in which convictions came only after 23 years, she said punishments in such cases are rare. Sindhu also alleged that leak syndicates often receive internal support and stressed the need for systemic reforms, including moving away from pen-and-paper exams and strengthening preventive mechanisms.
Mental health experts have expressed concern over the impact of repeated NEET controversies on students. Dr Paramjeet Singh of PSRI Hospital said allegations of paper leaks and transparency issues are causing severe stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion among aspirants who invest years of hard work and financial resources into preparation.
