{
  "id": 297271,
  "title": "'FIFA' group, small chits: How 3 NTA experts at centre of NEET leak probe 'abused' positions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/fifa-group-small-chits-how-3-nta-experts-at-centre-of-neet-leak-probe",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T04:40:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/who-are-3-nta-experts-tied-to-neet-paper-leak-who-abused-position-p-v-kulkarni-manisha-mandhare-havaldar-cbi-chargesheet-101786159370721.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three subject experts from Pune-based National Testing Agency (NTA) are at the heart of the NEET paper leak investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The experts involved are Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, P V Kulkarni, and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar. Mandhare handled Biology questions, Kulkarni dealt with Chemistry, while Havaldar focused on Physics questions. According to the CBI charge sheet, all three experts were assigned multiple tasks and were given access to all four master question sets of the NEET-UG exam.",
  "summary": "The National Testing Agency's (NTA) NEET-UG exam was cancelled on May 12 due to allegations of a paper leak, and a re-exam was conducted on June 21. According to the Times of India, three NTA subject experts were reportedly involved in leaking confidential question papers and have been charged by the CBI with criminal conspiracy and cheating.\n\nThe CBI investigation, as reported by Live Mint, uncovered a major paper leak conspiracy through forensic imaging of mobile devices, recovering deleted WhatsApp chats and PDF documents containing leaked questions matching the actual examination paper. Several individuals were arrested, including Mangilal, Dinesh, and Vikas Biwal, who had received leaked PDFs via Telegram on April 29.\n\nThe investigation also revealed a WhatsApp group named \"FIFA World Cup 2026\" that contained eight students secretly coordinating with subject experts, which was traced back to Manisha Mandhare. The accused individuals may face severe repercussions for their alleged involvement in the paper leak.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "How a 'Fifa world cup 2026' WhatsApp group exposed NEET leak",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/how-a-fifa-world-cup-2026-whatsapp-group-exposed-neet-leak",
        "published": "2026-08-07T09:46:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}