In a significant order on Thursday, the Rouse Avenue Special Fast Track Court extended the judicial custody of all 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case until August 10. The court also stated that the preliminary scrutiny of the charge sheet filed by the CBI and related documents has been completed. The court will now decide on August 7 whether to take cognizance of the charge sheet in the case.
Demand for hard copy of charge sheet
During the hearing, defense lawyers informed the court that a soft copy of the charge sheet had been provided to them, but that studying the nearly 20,000 pages of documents while in judicial custody solely through a pen drive was not practical. Senior advocate A.P. Singh demanded that hard copies of the documents be made available to the accused and requested additional time for their study. The court accepted the request and scheduled the next hearing for August 18.
The accused is ready to undergo brain mapping and lie detector test.
The defense claimed in court that all the accused voluntarily agreed to undergo brain mapping, polygraph (lie detector), and other scientific tests. The court reserved its decision on the petition filed in this regard and stated that it would deliver its order on August 10.
CBI protested
The CBI opposed the accused’s petition, arguing that it was not maintainable. The agency told the court that a special fast-track court has been set up to expedite the trial of the case, and that such petitions would cause unnecessary delays. The CBI also sought costs for such applications.
Chargesheet based on 360 witnesses and 422 documents
The CBI has filed a charge sheet against 13 accused under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The charge sheet cites 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 pieces of material evidence, which form the basis of the investigation into this high-profile case.