The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed its first supplementary chargesheet in connection with the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case, in which it named Sheshrao Bajrang Suryawanshi as the 14th accused. The agency submitted the chargesheet before a court in Delhi on Wednesday, which did not name any official from the National Testing Agency (NTA) or any other government department.
The court ordered to supply a copy of the chargesheet to the counsel of the accused, and listed the matter for further hearing on October 15. The striking development comes amid continuing scrutiny of the alleged exam leaks, which triggered nationwide protests and raised questions about the integrity of one of India’s biggest entrance exams.
13 named as accused in first chargesheet
Notably, the central agency had filed its first chargesheet on July 28 this year, in which 13 people linked to the paper leak had been named as accused. The list included three subjects engaged by the NTA, several intermediaries and representatives of coaching institutes.
The accused named in the initial chargesheet have been identified as Manisha Mandhare, Biology expert; Pralhad Vithalrao Kulkarni, Chemistry expert; and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, Physics expert.
Other accused were intermediaries, who are named Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhananjay Nivrutti Lokhande, Shubham Madhukar Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Vikash Biwal, Dinesh Biwal and Dr Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure. Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar, owner of RCC Coaching Institute in Latur, and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, Physics faculty member and chief operating officer at APMA Coaching Institute in Pune. All the aforementioned accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Moreover, the provisions related to the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2014 have also been invoked against them.
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Alleged money trail probed by CBI
During the probe, the CBI learnt that Motegaonkar deliberately obtained confidential questions from the Chemistry sections through co-conspirators by paying Rs 5 lakh via co-accused Dr Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure. As per the agency’s submissions made while opposing Motegaonkar’s bail plea, the questions had allegedly been procured for his son and students at his coaching institute situated in Maharashtra’s Latur, named Renukai Career Centre.
The CBI sleuths also scrutinised the alleged financial trail, freezing several bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account linked to the accused. The agency made its first arrest in the case on May 13, 2026, followed by arrests of alleged intermediaries and people associated with coaching institutes.
Exam cancellation triggered nationwide protests
Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
The controversy also resulted in political repercussions, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after the pressure group, Cockroach Janta Party, helmed major protests in the national capital.
The NTA had cancelled the NEET UG 2026 exam on May 12 after an internal inquiry pointed towards a suspected paper leak. The NTA then conducted a re-test on June 21 this year for as many as 22 lakh candidates.