CBI Alleges ₹5 Lakh NEET Question Deal
The Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that a Latur coaching institute owner paid ₹5 lakh to obtain NEET-UG 2026 chemistry questions from an expert associated with the National Testing Agency. The claim was made while opposing the accused’s bail application before a special CBI court in Delhi.
CBI Alleges ₹5 Lakh NEET Payment
The agency alleged that Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, who runs a chemistry coaching centre in Latur, paid the money to retired professor P.V. Kulkarni. Kulkarni was reportedly an NTA chemistry subject expert and translator with access to master question sets.
According to the CBI, Motegaonkar received the questions on April 23, ten days before the NEET-UG examination held on May 3. The alleged exchange took place at a hospital operated by another accused in the case.
111 Questions Allegedly Match NTA Sets
Investigators said they recovered images containing 132 handwritten chemistry questions from Motegaonkar’s mobile phone. Metadata allegedly showed that the images were captured before the examination.
The CBI told the court that approximately 111 of those questions matched questions contained in the NTA’s master sets. The agency also referred to digital evidence, including a video in which Motegaonkar allegedly told students that questions supplied by him would appear in the examination.
The allegations have not yet been proved in court.
NEET Paper Leak Probe Widens
Motegaonkar and Kulkarni are among several people arrested during the investigation into the alleged multi-state NEET paper leak network. The CBI has registered offences related to conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence and unfair examination practices.
The May 3 examination was cancelled following the leak controversy, and a fresh NEET-UG examination was conducted on June 21. The judicial custody of 13 accused has been extended until July 24 as the investigation continues.
