00:04The CBI says it has uncovered how these three NTA subject experts allegedly leaked the NEET
00:10UG 2026 paper. But first, here's how the exam paper is prepared.
00:14Step 1. Experts first draft questions and answer options. They don't know whether their questions
00:20will actually make it into the exam. Step 2. Moderation, where selected experts choose the
00:26final questions and prepare four complete question sets. These are then checked by
00:30vetters who solve the papers and verify the answer case. Step 3. Translators and proofreaders
00:35ensure the questions are accurate across languages. Ideally, each stage is handled by
00:40different experts to maintain confidentiality and prevent any individual from accessing the
00:44complete question paper. But the CBI found that several experts were involved in multiple stages
00:50of the process. That meant they had access to the final question papers. Investigators say one
00:55expert secretly wrote questions on small paper chits and hid them. Two other memorised questions
01:00returned to their hotel rooms and either wrote them down or marked the relevant NCRT paragraphs.
01:06The probe found that the accused dictated the questions, options and answers to students
01:10during special coaching classes. The three accused experts have been identified as biology expert
01:15Manisha Mandhari, chemistry expert Prahlad Kulkarni and physics expert Manisha Havaldad. The investigation
01:21further found that experts entering and leaving the NTS confidential section were not risked.
01:26Adding to that, CCTV footage was also retained only for 25 days, leaving investigators without
01:31crucial surveillance evidence. The alleged leak ultimately led to the cancellation of NEAT-UG-2026,
01:37affecting nearly 23 lakh aspirants, one of the biggest disruptions in India's medical entrance exam
01:43history.
01:45Law.
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