NEET Paper leak traced to paper setters after 100% of Chemistry questions matched Guess Paper
The whistleblower first flagged the leak and then shared a PDF of the leaked paper. When the NTA compared it with the actual exam, it found that every single Chemistry question had been compromised. Biology questions had been partially leaked as well.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsA complete match between a leaked "guess paper" and the actual Chemistry questions in this year's NEET examination has led the National Testing Agency to refer the names of all Chemistry paper setters and translators to the Central Bureau of Investigation, sources close to the development have said. Four days after the nationwide exam on 3 May, the NTA received an email on 7 May from a whistleblower based in Sikar.
The whistleblower first flagged the leak and then shared a PDF of the leaked paper. When the NTA compared it with the actual exam, it found that every single Chemistry question had been compromised. Biology questions had been partially leaked as well.
According to an Indian Express report, a source close to the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the NTA has handed the CBI a full list of professors and translators connected to the Chemistry paper. "There are 26 to 27 people," the source said. Of these, 24 are translators, and the remaining three are paper setters, one each for physical, inorganic, and organic chemistry. The source added that several of them may have served in the same roles in previous years, too.
The scale of potential exposure is significant. Since NEET is conducted in a dozen languages, the NTA appoints two translators per subject for each language, one to translate from English into the regional language and another to translate back, ensuring nothing is lost or altered in the process. "It's a trust-based system," the source said, as per the reports. "The integrity of the examination is based on the trust NTA has in the paper setters and translators. These people were tasked with the NEET exam in January and had to submit undertakings."
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One arrest has already been made. PV Kulkarni, a retired lecturer from Pune, was picked up by the CBI last week. He had been involved in both setting Chemistry questions and translating the paper into Marathi.
Under existing protocols recommended by a committee formed in 2024, paper setters are required to work in secure rooms with no internet access and are barred from carrying mobile phones or laptops. Whether those protocols were followed or circumvented is part of what the CBI is now examining.
Looking ahead, the NTA has replaced all question setters and translators, not just for Chemistry but for Biology and Physics as well, for the retest scheduled for 21 June. The agency is also revising its standard operating procedures and has begun advertising for a new professional leadership team, including a Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and General Manager for Human Resources. The incoming CTO, who may be drawn from the private sector, will be responsible for securing the agency's entire digital examination ecosystem, from candidate registration through to result processing.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a review meeting on the retest on Tuesday and directed the NTA to hold coordination meetings with District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police across states to tighten arrangements on the ground.
The report further added that the source suggested the agency may also need to go further, bringing in a third party to conduct background checks on paper setters and translators before they are entrusted with future exams.