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India arrests kingpin in Neet case; paper leaked in coaching classes at his home
The accused was identified as PV Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer involved in the process of examination on behalf of NTA, who had direct access to the question papers
- PUBLISHED: Sat 16 May 2026, 12:20 PM
- By:
- ANI
India's CBI arrested a kingpin in the Neet-UG 2026 case, who they identified as the source of the paper leak.
The accused was identified as PV Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer involved in the process of examination on behalf of India's National Testing Agency. Investigations revealed that he had access to the question papers.
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During the last week of April 2026, he had allegedly mobilised students, with the help of another accused, namely Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested on May 14 by CBI, and conducted special coaching classes for these students at his residence in Pune.
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He allegedly dictated the questions along with options and the correct answers during these special coaching classes, and the questions were handwritten by students in their notebooks and have exactly tallied with the actual question paper of Neet-UG 2026 exam held on May 3.
So far, a total of eight people have now been arrested in this case.
They were identified as Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar (Maharashtra), Manisha Waghmare from Pune, Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, and Yash Yadav from Gurugram. Several other suspects are currently being examined, the authority said.
Meanwhile, the United Doctors Front (UDF) has moved the Supreme Court of India seeking dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in its present form. The petition has been filed by petitioner United Doctors Front (UDF), a registered organisation, under Article 32 of the Constitution alleging “systemic and catastrophic failure” in the conduct of Neet-UG 2026 and seeking structural reforms in the examination system.