For two decades, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar was everything Latur's students aspired to be near. A gold-medal-winning M.Sc. Chemistry scholar, founder of a coaching empire, and the face of what educators proudly called the "Latur Pattern" — the city's famed tradition of producing medical and engineering toppers.
Today, his name is at the centre of one of India's most politically charged examination scandals- The NEET UG 2026 paper leak.
The Man Behind the Classes
Born on February 2, 1980, Motegaonkar founded the Renukai Career Centre (RCC) in Latur in 2003, building it into Maharashtra's leading Chemistry coaching network focused on NEET, JEE, and MHT-CET preparation, his profile on RCC website said.
Over the years, RCC expanded to eight cities across Maharashtra, including Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Solapur, Kolhapur and Akola. His personal website describes him as a "visionary educator" who believes in "simplifying complexity and instilling confidence," with rural mentorship programmes and free science seminars forming part of his public image.
The Scandal That Changed Everything
The NEET-UG 2026 examination, held on May 3 for admission to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The government subsequently handed the investigation over to the CBI.
The case cracked open after a local parent filed a complaint alleging that 42 questions in a private mock test were carbon copies of the actual exam — a detail that drew investigators straight to Latur.
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CBI Comes Knocking
The CBI arrived in Latur late Wednesday night with a 28-member team, detaining retired chemistry faculty member PV Kulkarni — a resident of Latur who had retired four years ago and was reportedly a member of the NEET paper-setting committee, and had set the Chemistry paper for the examination.
CBI officials then visited Motegaonkar's residence at Omkar Residency in Shivnagar, questioning the RCC founder for nearly eight hours on Friday, reports said. Days later, the CBI conducted searches at the main RCC office in Latur's Shivnagar locality, with the operation continuing until late evening.
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Sources told The Hindu that the CBI suspects that some doctors from Latur had purchased the leaked examination paper.
No charges have been formally filed against Motegaonkar. For Latur — a town where families often sink their life savings into coaching fees trusting the system is a meritocracy — the investigation feels like a puncture in the community's collective hope.
The re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
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