‘To assist CBI’: Accused in NEET paper leak case offer to undergo lie-detector test

The application reads, “..That the primary objective of any premier investigating agency like the CBI is to bring real offenders to justice and prevent innocent citizens from suffering wrongful incarceration. If the polygraph and BEAP tests confirm that the applicants possess no information regarding the source of the paper leak, the procurement of question papers, or the financial channels of the syndicate, such negative findings will prove invaluable to the CBI. It will enable the Investigating Agency to redirect its resources towards tracing the actual perpetrators and masterminds rather than squandering investigative capital on wrongfully implicated individuals.”

The roles prescribed to the accused by the CBI were procuring and circulating the leaked NEET UG question paper in networks in Sikar and Jaipur.

“Dinesh Biwal…stated that Yash Yadav (another co-accused) had provided NEET UG 2026 leaked question sets in PDF format to his elder brother…on the Telegram application in consideration of Rs 12 lakh, to be paid later, after taking security in the form of original educational documents and a signed blank cheque,” the CBI submitted before court.

In their application moved before Special Judge Ajay Gupta of the Rouse Avenue Court, the accused stated that they had “maintained their innocence from the inception of the investigation and continue to assert that they have neither committed nor participated in the offences alleged against them”. Their application added, “They have cooperated with the investigation and remain willing to extend complete cooperation to the Investigating Agency at every stage.”

Stating that they had “unwavering confidence” in the investigative process, the accused represented by advocate AP Singh mentioned in their application that they wanted to “assist the investigating agency by voluntarily offering themselves for recognised scientific examination, so that every lawful investigative avenue capable of aiding the search for truth may be explored”.

The accused also stated that they had approached the court in “good faith and in the larger interest of ensuring that the investigation remains fair, impartial and transparent”.

The Special court of Ajay Gupta will hear the chargesheet filed in the case along with the bail applications of the two accused on August 6.

As per the CBI, the questions were allegedly leaked by National Testing Agency (NTA) panel member and translator P V Kulkarni. After this, Shivraj Motegaonkar, who runs Renukai Chemistry Classes in Latur, allegedly obtained the questions on the premises of Siddhivinayak Hospital run by another accused, Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure.

The CBI had claimed that the hospital premises were used to “facilitate access to a chemistry question paper in April 2026”, weeks prior to the May 3 exam. As per the CBI, the paper leak caused several students to die by suicide, and it caused a loss of more than Rs 600 crore to the government exchequer.

Till date, the agency has made 13 arrests in the case. More than 22.7 lakh aspirants appeared for this exam. Following the “leak”, the NTA cancelled the exam on May 12. The retest took place on June 21 and the results were declared on July 16.