The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a second charge sheet in the NEET UG 2024 question paper leak case, presenting it to a special court in Patna. 

The charge sheet names six individuals linked to the conspiracy, including key exam officials from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. The accused identified in the charge sheet are Baldev Kumar aka Chintu, Sunny Kumar, Dr. Ahsanul Haque (principal of Oasis School and city coordinator for NEET UG 2024), Md. Imtiyaz Alam (vice-principal of Oasis School and centre superintendent), Jamaluddin aka Jamal (a reporter) and Aman Kumar Singh.

They face multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B, abetment under Section 109, criminal breach of trust under Section 409, cheating under Section 420, theft under Section 380, causing disappearance of evidence under Section 201 and dishonestly receiving stolen property under Section 411.

Investigations have revealed that Dr. Haque conspired with Md. Imtiyaz Alam and others to steal and leak the NEET UG 2024 question paper. This case has drawn significant attention amid ongoing concerns about the integrity of the medical entrance exam. Previously, CBI had filed its first charge sheet on August 1, listing 13 accused individuals with a total of 48 arrests made to date, encompassing students, facilitators and those assisting in the leak.

According to the CBI, the agency utilised advanced forensic methods, artificial intelligence and CCTV analysis to gather evidence against the suspects. Furthermore, the CBI has informed the National Testing Agency (NTA) about students who may have benefitted from the leaked question paper, leading to potential disqualification or other repercussions for these candidates.

The NEET UG 2024 exam, which took place on May 5, 2024, saw participation from 2.3 million candidates across 4,750 centres, including 14 locations outside India. Following the announcement of results on June 4, concerns were raised when 67 candidates achieved perfect scores of 720, with many from the same examination centre. The controversy escalated as it was revealed that several accused were exam officials, prompting the Union Ministry of Education to refer the case to the CBI. The agency initiated a nationwide probe, deploying special teams and conducting raids at 58 locations over 39 days.

The Supreme Court has also intervened, requesting affidavits from the NTA and central government detailing steps taken to address these issues, while asking for updates from the CBI on the investigation and measures to identify and penalise the implicated candidates.