The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against 13 arrested accused persons in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, the agency said on Tuesday (July 28, 2026). All of them are currently in judicial custody.

The charge sheet comes days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post on July 25, in the wake of over a month-long agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party.

The agency has invoked provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence and other associated charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.

It has cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 material objects in the charge sheet.

The agency registered the case based on a complaint lodged by the Department of Higher Education on May 12, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which was held on May 3. The test was subsequently cancelled.

The CBI formed multiple teams with 72 officials and personnel, along with eight cyber forensic experts, to investigate the case. Searches were carried out at 92 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other States.

“These searches led to the seizure of incriminating material like digital and communication devices, documents etc. Forensic imaging and analysis of the incriminating material has been undertaken,” said the agency, adding that source of the leak was unearthed within weeks.

“The path from source of the leak to the beneficiary candidates was unearthed, leading to the identification of the chain. The first arrest in this case was made on May 13, 2026, it said.

Among the arrested are three National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts in chemistry (P.V. Kulkarni), biology (Manisha Gurunath Mandhare), and physics (Manisha Sanjay Havaldar).

Another key accused is Shivaraj Motegaonkar, a professor and owner of RCC Coaching Institute in Maharashtra’s Latur.

Several alleged intermediaries who sourced and distributed the leaked questions were also held. Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, physics faculty and chief operating officer at APMA Coaching Institute, Pune, was also arrested.

“Digital forensic analysis reports, handwriting expert opinions and academic experts’ opinions regarding leaked questions have been obtained. These reports confirmed the role of the accused in the circulation of leaked questions before the date of examination,” said the CBI. Further investigation is under way.

Dharmendra Pradhan’s exit as Education Minister has been under a cloud, but his five-year tenure was marked by a ramping up of efforts to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which the Union Cabinet had accepted a year before he took charge. Earlier, at the Petroleum Ministry, he had made his mark on programme implementation by delivering eight crore LPG connections to poor households in three years against a four-year target.

From the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), flexible learning and multidisciplinarity, and the Vikshit Bharat Shiksha Abhiyan (VBSA) replacing the UGC in higher education, to PM SHRI, the three-language formula and new teacher-training initiatives in school education, his Ministry was constantly in the news introducing “reforms”. Common threads ran through them: performance evaluation and accountability, skilling-education convergence, promotion of a certain vision of Indianness, ambition undercut by implementation challenges, and a push for uniformity that critics called centralisation and a disregard for diversity. Almost all remain works-in-progress that the new Education Minister will have to carry forward.

Through Nipun Bharat, formally launched by Mr. Pradhan’s predecessor on the heels of pandemic-era learning losses, the government was finally acting on decades of evidence from surveys by voluntary organisations that India’s schoolchildren were lagging far behind in reading and mathematics despite formally graduating year after year. It seeks to ensure every child attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27. ASER 2024 showed a seven-percentage-point gain in numeracy since 2018, and PARAKH 2024 found Grade 3 students who benefited from the mission’s first three years outperforming Grades 6 and 9 in language and math. Yet fewer than a quarter of students nationally could read a Grade 2 text, and Grade 5 levels remained roughly where they were pre-pandemic — a sign of implementation gaps that may well necessitate a Nipun Bharat 2.0.

The National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) is India’s first initiative to assess and classify teachers — as proficient, expert or advanced — against uniform national standards, with career progression tied to this ladder. The National Mentoring Mission (NMM), meant to identify mentor teachers to guide others up this ladder through nomination and volunteering, is being rolled out with online sessions, but awareness among the country’s one crore teachers remains low and impact assessments are yet to be formalised. The NPST itself has not been rolled out, leaving teachers little incentive to engage with the mentoring sessions.

Some initiatives drew sharper controversy. The 2025 draft UGC regulations on appointing teachers, vice-chancellors and staff faced strong opposition — notably for giving Governors a decisive say in vice-chancellor appointments and for removing the cap on contractual professorships. Separately, the UGC’s new undergraduate and postgraduate degree rules, built around flexibility and multidisciplinarity to create a skilled workforce, have been formally in force since the 2025 academic year — but institutions across States are still barely grasping radical concepts such as a commerce student studying science, or transferring credits across colleges via the National Credit Framework.

An example of education-skilling convergence is the Swayam Plus platform that offers over 500 industry-developed courses across 15 sectors, including emerging technologies. R. Sarathi, Dean (Planning), IIT Madras and Coordinator, Swayam Plus, says some 6.5 lakh students are registered and the “AI for All” initiative with courses such as AI for Physics, AI for Chemistry, AI in Accounting, AI for Educators, and AI/ML using Python have draw one lakh participants. Prof. Sarathi is seeing encouraging response from education institutions accepting industry credits that these courses bring.

Mr. Pradhan also pushed to steamroll NEP adoption — particularly the three-language policy — by tying Central funding for primary education schemes to compliance. Tamil Nadu remains a holdout, though West Bengal’s new government has accepted it. In CBSE schools, Mr. Pradhan directly mandated the learning of two Bharatiya languages from Classes 6 to 12, prioritising Indian languages over English. Some relief has been granted to current students, but the government has held firm on this as the norm going forward — even though NEP, in the same breath as it champions Indian languages, also emphasises the learning of English and other foreign languages.

As Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tendered his resignation from the Cabinet on Saturday, protesters at the CPI State Office continued their demonstrations, now seeking the abolition of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

On Saturday, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced on X that they would withdraw their nationwide agitation, stating that all their demands, including Pradhan’s resignation and compensation for the families of the deceased who ended their lives over the NEET paper leak, were met by the Union government. However, placards and speeches throughout Chennai’s CPI State office echoed that the resignation was only the beginning.

Human rights activist and movement co-ordinator Thirumurugan Gandhi spoke to The Hindu about the goal for the extended protest. “While NEET abolition is the larger demand, we want assent (from the Centre) for the exemption of Tamil Nadu from NEET,” he said.

Those associated with the CJP were also keen on extending their demonstrations. Isai Prakash, 32, CJP organiser, stated that the group’s withdrawal from agitation in Delhi did not mean that their tune would change in the South. He told The Hindu, “The (CJP’s) demand was met; they succeeded. It took 25 days to get the Education Minister to resign; we are willing to sit for 100 days, as long as the Centre gives the State control over education,” he added.

Mr. Gandhi delivered a rousing speech in the evening, congratulating protestors on their major demand being met. He discussed the idea of changing venues, suggesting a larger party office or public space so that more protestors can gather. He stated that the State government should permit them to gather at Marina Beach, which was closed to the public on Thursday amid the protests. “The Marina Beach has hosted screenings of football matches and IPL matches, so why not now?” asked Mr. Gandhi. “The party in power in Tamil Nadu agrees with the cause against NEET, so I don’t see why it should be an issue,” he said.

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets near Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) to protest against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak and express solidarity with students demonstrating in the national capital. They also condemned the proposed demolition of buildings at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh.

Slogans on students’ needs

The protest was led by the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) and saw participants carrying placards with slogans such as “Students Need Classrooms, Not Chaos” and “Justice for Students, Justice for Jauhar”. Soon after Friday prayers concluded at the Mecca Masjid, many other young men joined the peaceful demonstration, raising slogans against what they described as the government’s anti-student policies. They also sought the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Demands

The protesters demanded strict action against those responsible for irregularities and question paper leaks. They further demanded an establishment of a transparent, accountable, corruption free and student friendly exam system, and protection of the democratic right to peacefully protest.

People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026)
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

Speaking to the media, SIO Telangana president Mohammed Faraz Ahmed alleged said that conduct of national level examinations were failing. He added that question paper leaks were a result of corruption and administrative negligence which had severely taken a toll on the confidence of students and parents across the country. The future of lakhs of students, he said, could not be jeopardised on account of a flawed examination system.

He alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had failed to discharge its duty of conducting examinations in a fair, transparent, and credible manner. Protesters demanded the immediate resignation of Mr. Pradhan and called for the abolition of the agency.

People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026)
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

The paper leaks had caused a great deal of anxiety and mental stress within the student community. He said that students spend a great deal of time to prepare for such tests. Condemning the police action against peaceful protesters in the national capital, he said that in a democracy, voices of dissent must be heard rather than suppressed.

People participate in a march led by Students Islamic Organisation of India’s (SIO) at Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026)
| Video Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recognise the changing voice of the youth and not to underestimate the power of the youngsters as they were not afraid of CBI or ED.

Referring to the ongoing protests across the country, he alleged that the anger among students extended beyond the examination paper leak issue and reflected frustration over unemployment and unfulfilled promises made by the Centre.

KTR made these observations at a protest at Indira Park in Hyderabad, organised in solidarity with students and youth protesting against the alleged police crackdown on demonstrators in New Delhi over the examination paper leak issue.

He also questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the examination paper leak controversy, asking why the government was unwilling to discuss the issue despite repeatedly speaking about education and examinations. He said the Centre should engage with students and resolve their grievances rather than branding protesters as anti-national or resorting to police action.

BRS members participate in a protest organised by BRSV at Indira Park in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026)
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G

Demands

Condemning the police action against students in Delhi, he demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of criminal cases registered against protesting students and an apology from the Centre for the alleged excesses. “The youth is not afraid of CBI or ED that are used by the Government to threaten others,” he remarked.

BRS members participate in a protest organised by BRSV at Indira Park in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026)
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G

KTR also criticised the BJP government’s employment record, alleging that the promise of creating two crore jobs annually had remained unfulfilled. Accusing the Centre of failing to ensure transparency in competitive examinations, he said students were demanding accountability and reforms in the education system. “Promising ‘Make in India’, this government had delivered ‘Leak in India’,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

Criticising the Telangana government, the BRS working president accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of attempting to obstruct the BRS from raising the issue. He questioned why the State government was allegedly targeting the BRS instead of joining other Opposition parties in demanding accountability from the Centre.

Mr. Rao said Mr. Reddy did not even join the protests of his [Congress] leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi indicating where his loyalties existed.

He asserted that the BRS, which had led the Telangana Statehood movement, would continue to stand by students and youth whenever their rights were threatened. He also said BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao was closely monitoring developments and would continue to support issues concerning students and young people.

Delhi Police and other security personnel were outnumbered and taken aback by thousands of protesters who arrived in and around Jantar Mantar on Monday (July 20, 2026), a senior government official said. In an unprecedented turn of events, despite multiple layers of barricade, deployment of around 3,000 security personnel and an Internet shutdown, large crowds comprising mostly students and young people were able to reach the doorsteps of Parliament, before they were tear gassed and charged with batons.

The “leaderless” protesters faced little resistance from police as they marched from Jantar Mantar towards Raisina Marg, which leads to Parliament, The Hindu witnessed. All radials leading to the Parliament were teeming with protesters who brought down the barricades as they marched on, with the police using buses to block their movement, just 100 metres from the Parliament complex where the first day of the Monsoon session commenced on Monday (July 20).

Follow CJP protest in Delhi LIVE updates

The crowd had gathered based on a call given by the online youth group, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), to march to Parliament demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradesh over the recent NEET(UG) examination leak. The forcible removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the dais at Jantar Mantar where he had been sitting on a hunger strike for 20 days, in an early morning operation on July 18, likely gave a fillip to the protest as hundreds of people started pouring in in solidarity.

Swelling protest

On Sunday (July 19) evening, after intelligence sources conveyed to the government that the numbers were growing at the protest site, the Union government through Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, Sachin Sharma reached out to the CJP members for the first time. “The DCP approached us first on Sunday (July 19) evening, offering a meeting with the district magistrate. After we declined, this morning they offered talks with Minister of State (Independent Charge) and subsequently a Union Secretary. When we refused, the DCP asked us what we want to do. We said a delegation will meet a Union Cabinet Minister. Then they asked us to give a list of names of possible Ministers and that is how Health Minister J.P. Nadda met us,” said Saurav Das of the CJP.

Seeing the intensity of the protests and as the protesters reached Parliament, the Union government deputed Health Minister Mr. Nadda to engage with members of the CJP. Posting on X after the meeting, the Minister said: “This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11.50 a.m. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation and they submitted a written petition around 4 p.m. I have requested all those protesting to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy.”

Within Parliament too, senior Ministers of the NDA government went into a huddle with one meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lasting nearly three-and-a-half hours. No briefing was done post the meeting but it is assumed that issues with regard to the leak of NEET question papers and the resulting protests were discussed.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal too met with Mr. Shah for a short time, but it is not clear whether it was on the same issue.

A government official told The Hindu that clear directions were given to the police to not use force against the protesters. However, when they broke barricades and marched towards Parliament, police personnel first fired tear gas shells as warning shots and then batoncharged them, injuring several protesters and police officials.

The official added that a large number of people were mobilised to the venue by political parties such as Chandrashekhar Azaad’s Azaad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Aam Aadmi Party, and the Samajwadi Party.

A large number of protesters came from outside Delhi, particularly the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan, the official said.

Nitish, a police aspirant, who arrived from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Monday (July 20) morning said: “Government should be held accountable for the paper leaks.” When asked how he could reach so close to Parliament and whether he was stopped by the police, Mr. Nitish said, “After the first barricade was breached, we just walked, no one stopped us.”

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday (June 13, 2026) said the earlier “politics of uncertainty” gave way to the “politics of performance” under the Narendra Modi government in the last 12 years.

Speaking to reporters , Mr. Pradhan said Prime Minister Modi’s leadership restored stability and public confidence after a period of political uncertainty under the UPA regime.

“Politics of performance has taken centre stage in the country. Prime Minister Modi has earned the trust of the people through his government’s work,” the BJP leader said.

The BJP-led NDA government focused on the welfare and empowerment of women, the youth, farmers and the poor during the last 12 years, Mr. Pradhan said.

People’s aspirations are very high in the age of social media, but their faith in the ability of Prime Minister Modi and his government to fulfil these aspirations is equally strong, he said.

Girls in the country scaled new heights in education and other fields in the past decade, he said, adding that various global indicators reflect the progress in this area.

He also highlighted the growth of the start-up ecosystem, expansion in exports and rapid technological advancement under the Modi government.

“The number of start-ups has increased manifold and India has made remarkable progress in technology and innovation,” he said.

Mr. Pradhan also claimed that the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the present government delivered better results in 18 years than their political opponents and laid a strong foundation for India’s growth.

With the support of the people and the guiding principle of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”, the country was steadily moving towards the goal of becoming a developed nation, he added.

Criticising the Mamata Banerjee government on several fronts relating to education, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that West Bengal lost Central funds worth ₹10,000 crore by not implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) in the State.

“Despite repeated requests, the NEP was not implemented in West Bengal by the State government. The policy talks about education in the mother tongue, and in West Bengal, that would have been Bengali. The State government does not want to allow education in Bengali,” Mr. Pradhan said while addressing a teachers’ conference organised by the Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata on Saturday.

The Union Minister said that had the NEP been implemented, additional funds would have been given to the State under the Samagra Shiksha Mission. Mr. Pradhan also accused the Mamata Banerjee government of siphoning off funds from the midday meal scheme.

Mr. Pradhan cited various statistics to argue that the education system in West Bengal had deteriorated during the Trinamool Congress regime in the state. The Minister said that West Bengal accounted for nearly 50 % of the total schools in the country that do not have a single teacher. “The maximum number of teacher-less schools in the country is in West Bengal. The figure is around 4,000, which is almost 50 % of the national figure,” he said.

The BJP leader said that internet penetration in state-run schools is just 16 % in West Bengal, compared to the national average of 70 %.

‘SEP more advanced’

State Education Minister Bratya Basu refuted the charges made by the Union Minister and said that the State Education Policy (SEP) was adopted in 2023, where all acceptable aspects of the NEP have been incorporated.

“Policies that protect the interests of West Bengal and those already practised in the State have also been included. The State Education Policy is more advanced. Education being on the concurrent list, the Bengal government is empowered to follow its own policy,” the State Education Minister said.

On the charge of the Union Minister that the State has the highest number of teacher-less schools in the country, Mr. Basu claimed that there are inconsistencies in this information for various reasons.

“The education portal includes several private aided schools whose teacher count became zero and were consequently shut down. However, due to their UDISE numbers, they are still shown as government schools on the portal. These have been identified, and a corrected portal will be published shortly,” the West Bengal Education Minister said.

On low penetration of internet, Mr. Basu said that all government upper primary, secondary and Higher Secondary schools in the state were provided internet facilities long ago.

The State Education Minister also refuted charges of siphoning out of mid day meal funds and said that the claims were “baseless and unfounded allegation”. “If any such complaint is found anywhere, anyone can file an FIR regarding the matter, none of which has come to the knowledge of the Government,” Mr. Basu.