CBI unearths scam to 'manipulate' NEET UG scores; two arrested

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered a NEET UG 2025 marks manipulation scandal, resulting in the arrest of two individuals, including a doctor, involved in the case.

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Dr Sandeep Jawahar Shah along with another individual posing as an official from the National Testing Agency (NTA), has been accused of manipulating NEET UG 2025 scores to help ineligible candidates gain admission to government medical colleges in exchange for Rs 90 lakh per candidate.

Charged Rs 90 lakh per candidate

Dr Shah, a resident of Solapur, Maharashtra, and director of Indi Biosearch and Ratandeep Dental Lab, allegedly partnered with the individual posing as an NTA official to manipulate NEET UG 2025 results. He reportedly charged Rs 90 lakh per candidate, collected in two installments, and disclosed the tampered scores six hours before the official results were announced.

Dr Shah met with the candidates' parents at a hotel in Parel to collect the payments. On June 9, the CBI used dummy parents and independent witnesses to verify the allegations against the two accused. During this operation, the fee for manipulating the marks was negotiated and brought down to Rs 87.5 lakh per candidate. The CBI also confirmed that Shah made attempts to influence NTA officials through corrupt practices.

A case has been registered against Dr Shah and the unidentified individual posing as an NTA official under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The investigation, led by the CBI, has so far found no evidence of involvement of government officials or NTA personnel. The accused are alleged to have misled parents by falsely claiming to have connections within the NTA.

NEET not about merit: Stalin

Reacting to the case, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took to X stating, “Yet another case that proves NEET isn’t about merit; it’s only about the market. That’s why we’re saying it loud and clear, #NEETisnotNEAT, and we have every reason to.”

He alleged that the exam, which was introduced under the pretext of improving the quality of medical education, has instead become driven by money. “From the beginning to the end of the #NEET exam, money is the game,” he wrote.

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He described the NEET examination system as a moral scandal, alleging that every stage, from the question paper to the examination hall to the announcement of results, is plagued by irregularities. He claimed that NEET is rigged right from the outset.

Calling out AIADMK leaders, the Chief Minister said that while they actively participate in RSS-BJP meetings, they “neither have the time nor the dignity to speak out against such issues to their masters.”