Arya News - The CBI’s charge sheet has nearly 20,000 pages.
NEW DELHI – A Delhi fast-track court will examine the CBI’s nearly 20,000-page charge sheet in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case on August 3 after giving the agency three more days to complete its voluminous filing.
The charge sheet names 13 accused and draws upon 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects. All the accused are currently in judicial custody.
Special Judge Anu Grover Baliga of the designated Fast Track Court at Rouse Avenue granted the CBI’s request for additional time on Wednesday.
Court flags missing statements and document lists
The court noted that the charge sheet had been filed without the accompanying witness statements and lists of documents and articles.
The CBI said the complete record ran into approximately 20,000 pages and was still being scanned. Copies of the documents must also be supplied to all 13 accused.
The agency was consequently allowed three days to submit the remaining annexures. The charge sheet has been listed for consideration on August 3.
Deputy Legal Advisor AP Singh, Senior Public Prosecutor VK Pathak and Public Prosecutor Arjun Anand appeared for the CBI during the hearing.
Three NTA subject experts among accused
The accused have been booked for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The charge sheet also invokes provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
According to the CBI, the 13 arrested accused include three National Testing Agency subject experts associated with Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
Several alleged middlemen accused of sourcing and distributing the leaked questions have also been arrested.
Two people associated with coaching institutes were allegedly involved in obtaining the questions from the subject experts.
CBI says it traced leak from source to beneficiaries
The agency registered the case on May 12 following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education over alleged irregularities and a paper leak in the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.
Its first arrest was made on May 13.
The CBI said it deployed 72 officers and personnel along with eight cyber-forensic experts during the investigation.
Searches were conducted at 92 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other states.
Digital and communication devices, documents and other material were seized during the searches. The agency said forensic imaging and analysis of the material had been undertaken.
It has also relied on digital forensic reports, handwriting analysis and academic experts’ opinions on the leaked questions.
Bank accounts, lockers and demat account frozen
The CBI said its investigation followed the alleged leak from its source through the distribution network to the candidates who benefited from it.
Investigators also examined the money trail linked to the alleged conspiracy.
Several bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account connected to the accused have been frozen, according to the agency.
The court will now consider the charge sheet after the CBI files the remaining statements, document lists and annexures.
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