CBI Clears Sanjeev Mukhiya In NEET 2024 Paper Leak Case

The CBI found no evidence linking Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya to the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, the agency stated on Thursday. It also filed multiple chargesheets against 45 individuals before a Patna court.

Mukhiya was believed to be a kingpin of the paper leak operation and was named in FIR because of his previous association with similar crimes.

The agency stated that it had identified the full conspiracy, all those involved in the theft and distribution of the stolen paper, and every beneficiary.

Initial Police Investigation

Bihar Police first detected the NEET-UG 2024 paper theft and registered the initial case before transferring it to the CBI.

A CBI spokesperson stated that prima facie suspicion had then emerged against Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya. His involvement in the leak was suspected due to his past association with cases of paper leak and theft. Bihar Police accordingly named him as an accused in the FIR.

The 2024 paper leak was alleged to have happened across multiple states. The Supreme Court acknowledged that at least 155 students had directly benefitted from the leak but ruled that there was no evidence of a systemic failure.

CBI Clears Mukhiya

Mukhiya was absconding when Bihar Police eventually arrested him. The CBI then took him into custody for examination because he was a named accused in the FIR.

Investigators found no evidence of his involvement during this process, so the agency did not file a chargesheet against him in the medical entrance exam leak case.

"In the course of its investigation, the CBI did not come across any evidence to establish the involvement of Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjeev Mukhiya in the theft or distribution of the stolen NEET-UG question paper in 2024," the spokesperson added.

Mukhiya later obtained bail in the NEET-UG case though he still remains in judicial custody in other paper leak cases registered by Bihar Police.

The CBI said it completed a detailed probe into the actual conspirators to ensure "none of them escaped the law", adding that no evidence was found against Mukhiya despite his inclusion in the original FIR.