New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday extended till June 29 the judicial custody of 10 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The accused were produced before the Rouse Avenue Court through video conferencing from Tihar Jail after the expiry of their earlier judicial custody period.
The court extended the judicial custody of Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, and Dr Manoj Shirure till June 29.
The court also allowed the CBI to interrogate accused Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, and Dhananjay Lokhande inside the jail on June 17, 18, and 19, respectively. The agency has been permitted to question each accused for one hour as part of its ongoing investigation.
So far, the CBI has arrested 13 accused in the case and is probing an alleged network involved in procuring and circulating NEET-UG question papers before the examination.
Earlier, on June 1, the court had sent Dr Manoj Shirure, Tejas Harshad Shah, and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to judicial custody till June 15. The CBI has alleged that Shirure, a doctor from Latur, played a key role in helping three students, including the son of an accused coaching centre owner, access Chemistry questions allegedly obtained from the suspected kingpin P.V. Kulkarni before the examination.
Shah, a Physics faculty member at Pune-based Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA), is accused of receiving leaked Physics questions from co-accused Manisha Havaldar.
The case relates to the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper, following which the CBI registered an FIR on May 12 based on a complaint filed by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education.
According to the investigation agency, Pune-based education consultant Manisha Waghmare was among the intermediaries who allegedly arranged students willing to pay lakhs of rupees for special coaching sessions, where questions that later appeared in the NEET-UG 2026 exam were reportedly discussed and dictated.
The CBI has alleged that Waghmare facilitated candidates for special coaching classes conducted by NTA-appointed senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, who is suspected to be the co-mastermind behind the Biology paper leak.
The agency has identified Chemistry professor P.V. Kulkarni as the alleged kingpin of the paper leak network.
Meanwhile, the Centre has intensified preparations for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21 after the original exam held in May was cancelled following allegations of question paper leakage.
During preparations for the re-test, Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan reviewed arrangements with National Testing Agency (NTA) officials and warned that the “full might and weight of the law” would be used against anyone attempting to disrupt or compromise the examination process.
The Centre has introduced enhanced security measures, including transportation of question papers by the Indian Air Force and deployment of CRPF and CISF personnel to support local authorities in ensuring secure conduct of the re-examination.
The NTA has also announced an additional 15 minutes for candidates and increased space for rough work in answer booklets.
The Centre has maintained that coordinated efforts by the Union government, state governments, and district administrations are aimed at protecting the integrity and credibility of the re-examination process.
With IANS inputs