KATHMANDU: Seven people have been charged in connection with the leak of a Tribhuvan University (TU) MBS first-semester question paper from an examination hall.

The Kathmandu District Government Attorney’s Office filed a charge sheet at the Kathmandu District Court on Monday, naming three people arrested in connection with the case and four others who remain at large.

The question paper for MGT 515: Organizational Behavior was leaked on a WhatsApp group shortly after the examination began on Aug. 8. The exam started at noon, and within minutes the question paper had been photographed, converted into a PDF and shared in a WhatsApp group named “MBS 1st Sem Section C.” More than 1,000 students were members of the group.

The incident came to light after a screenshot of the leaked question paper was shared publicly through the “TU Students” Facebook page.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested Sandeep Singh, a finance teacher at Kathmandu Model College and Himalayan College, who is also known as “Sulabh Sir”; Atul Kumar Mishra of Rautahat; and Abdul Sani Hakim, a student at Thakur Ram Multiple Campus in Birgunj, Parsa.

Rishikesh Prasad Yadav, Khushbu Giri, Devnath Mahato and Ranju Kumari Giri have been named as absconding defendants.

According to the charge sheet, Singh, who was also an administrator of the WhatsApp group, has admitted to his involvement in the leak.

Singh acknowledged sending messages from an account named “Sulab Sir,” including “Clear, Majjalay Photo upload garnu” and “Next page,” asking members to upload clear photographs and subsequent pages of the question paper.

He has denied preparing the answers himself. Singh claimed that other people had sent the answers to the group and that he had merely forwarded them so students could use them for study after the examination.

The prosecution, however, has alleged that Singh was deliberately involved in the planned leak, citing the fact that the question paper was circulated almost immediately after the examination began and that he actively requested clear photographs and forwarded answers.

Question paper leaked within a minute of exam start

The investigation found that Abdul Sani Hakim, a student at Thakur Ram Multiple Campus in Birgunj, photographed the question paper with his mobile phone immediately after the examination began and sent it outside the examination hall.

According to the charge sheet, the exam started at 12 p.m. and the photograph of the question paper had reached the WhatsApp group by 12:01 p.m.

Police allege that teachers and other individuals outside the examination hall solved the questions and sent the answers back to the WhatsApp group, while students inside the examination hall copied the answers by viewing them on their mobile phones.

During their statements, the accused also reportedly disclosed that the question paper and answers had been circulated through several other WhatsApp groups besides “MBS 1st Sem Section C.”

They further revealed that the question paper for Statistical Methods, which was examined on Aug. 6, had also been leaked shortly after the examination began.

The Kathmandu District Government Attorney’s Office has sought punishment under Section 17(1)(a) of the Education Act, 1971, accusing the defendants of breaching the confidentiality of examination materials and violating the integrity of the examination process.

The law provides for a fine of up to Rs. 100,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both for breaching the confidentiality of question papers or committing acts contrary to the integrity of an examination.

The prosecution has also sought compensation from the accused for the victim relief fund under the Crime Victim Protection Act.