Centre approves key NTA appointments as uproar over NEET paper leak intensifies
1998 batch Indian Statistical Service (ISS) officer Anuja Bapat and 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Tax) officer Ruchita Vij have been appointed as joint secretaries in NTA. Meanwhile, 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer Akash Jain and 2013 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer Aditya Rajendra Bhojadhia have been appointed as joint directors in the agency.The appointments come amid a wide-ranging probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested one more alleged mastermind in the case. The agency has identified Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior botany teacher from Pune, as the source of the allegations of leaking biology questions in the exam. According to the CBI, Mandhare was involved in the NEET-UG 2026 process as an NTA expert and had access to the question papers of Botany and Zoology.Also Read | NEET Paper Leak: CBI Arrests Pune Botany Teacher Hired by NTA as ExpertInvestigators alleged that he conducted coaching sessions for NEET aspirants at his Pune residence and published several questions which later matched the question papers of the actual exam held on May 3.The arrest came a day after the CBI arrested PV Kulkarni, a retired chemistry professor at Latur, in connection with alleged leaks. The agency said it conducted searches at six locations across the country and seized documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones.A Delhi court sent the two accused in the case to 10-day CBI custody for further questioning.Also Read | NEET paper leak row: Delhi court sends two accused to 10-day CBI custodyThe controversy has become a major national issue after the cancellation of medical exams. Students’ organizations and resident doctors’ associations have staged protests demanding accountability, while some groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to dissolve the NTA in its current form. Opposition parties have stepped up their attack on the Center over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sharpened his criticism by demanding the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak, while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called for Gen Z to take to the streets for accountability from the government.Nine accused have been arrested so far from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar.
