A 100% MATCH of Chemistry questions in the ‘guess paper’ with the actual NEET paper is what led the National Testing Agency to look within and then zero in on the source pool of the leak. Based on its internal probe, the NTA referred the names of all Chemistry paper setters and translators to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further examination, sources close to the development said.
According to the sources, four days after the nationwide NEET exam on May 3, the NTA had on May 7 received an email from a whistleblower in Sikar. This whistleblower had first mailed information about the leak to the NTA, and subsequently shared the pdf of the leaked paper. Upon comparing it with the actual paper, the NTA found that 100% of the Chemistry questions were leaked, and even the Biology paper questions were partially leaked.
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A source close to the developments who did not wish to be named said the NTA has given the entire list of professors and translated associated with the Chemistry paper to the CBI. “There are 26-27 people,” the source said. As many as 24 of these persons are translators, the rest are paper setters — one each for physical, inorganic and organic chemistry. The source said it is possible that some of them were translators and paper setters in the past too.
Since the exams are held in a dozen languages, the NTA appoints translators for all three subjects — Physics, Chemistry and Biology. But each subject has two translators for each language — one to translate a subject paper from English to say, Malayalam, and another to translate it from Malayalam to English. This is to ensure that no meaning is lost in translation.
“It’s a trust based system…the integrity of the examination is based on the trust NTA has on the paper setters and translators in the system. These people were tasked for the NEET exam in January, and had to submit undertakings.
Putting its own house in order
The NTA is increasing its institutional strength. Besides getting four officers, two of Joint Secretary rank and two of Joint Director rank, the agency has advertised for appointing contract professionals, including a Chief Technology Officer, a Chief Financial Officer and a Chief Human Resource Officer.
Referring to a Hindi proverb ghar ka bedi lanka dhaye (when an insider breaks the trust, it brings the greatest harm), sources said the NTA may have to now think of undertaking due diligence on the background of the paper setters and translators by some third party, the source said on the process going forward.
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For the exam on June 21, the NTA has changed all question setters and translators for not just Chemistry but also Biology and Physics papers, the source said. Separately, it is working on the existing SOP to ensure integrity of the examination. “The timeline is very tight and exacting, with less than a month for the ‘pen and paper’ NEET exam on June 21,” said the source.
PV Kulkarni, a retired lecturer from Pune, who was arrested by the CBI last week, was involved in both setting questions for the Chemistry section of the paper, and translating it into Marathi.
As per the recommendations of a committee constituted in 2024, the NTA has a protocol to ensure security at the question paper setting stage as well. Papers are to be set in secure rooms without internet facilities, where paper setters are not allowed to take their cellphones and laptops.
Separately, the NTA is putting its own house in order. Besides getting four officers, two Joint Secretary rank and two Joint Director rank, the agency has recently advertised for bringing on board a professional leadership team including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer and a General Manager (Human Resources), all reporting to the Director General.
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The CTO, who could be from the private sector, will be responsible for establishing the architecture, and delivery roadmap for NTA’s digital examination ecosystem. She/ he is expected to own the end-to-end technology stack supporting every stage of the examination lifecycle — from candidate-facing websites and registration to confidential question paper management, delivery, evaluation, normalisation and result processing — and will drive modernisation, security, reliability and innovation across all systems.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a review meeting on the retest scheduled for June 21, and issued directions to hold coordination meetings with District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police across states to ensure monitoring of arrangements for the retest.