NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak Case: Investigation intensifies in NEET UG paper leak case, court extends judicial custody of accused

37NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak Case: The investigation in the paper leak case related to the country’s biggest medical entrance examination NEET-UG 2026 is progressing continuously. In this series, a special court of Delhi on Monday extended the judicial custody of 10 accused arrested in this case till July 11. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had asked the court for additional time to thoroughly investigate the case, which the court accepted.

The case was heard in the court of Special Judge Vijeta Singh Rawat. During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor V.K. Pathak demanded extension of judicial custody to complete the investigation. After considering the arguments, the court ordered to extend the custody of 10 accused. After the completion of the judicial custody period on Monday, the arrested accused were presented in the court through virtual medium, where they were directed to remain in jail till the next hearing.

Judicial custody of which accused increased?

The court has extended the judicial custody of Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Havildar and Dr. Manoj Shirure till July 11. Earlier, the alleged main accused in the case, P.V. Kulkarni and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, had been sent to judicial custody till July 8. Another accused Manisha Gurunath Mandhare is also in judicial custody.

How did the paper leak issue come to light?

The original examination of NEET-UG 2026 was held on 3 May. After the examination, complaints of paper leaks and irregularities started coming from different states. Amidst the growing controversy, the National Testing Agency (NTA) canceled the examination on 12 May and re-conducted the examination on 21 June. Due to cancellation of the original examination, more than 20 lakh candidates had to re-appear. This development has created widespread concern among students and parents and raised serious questions on the transparency of the examination system.

Under which sections is CBI investigating?

CBI registered the case based on the written complaint of the Higher Education Department of the Education Ministry. According to the agency, the investigation is investigating crimes registered under criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence and Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Students’ eyes are now on the next phase of investigation

Lakhs of medical candidates across the country are keeping an eye on every update of this matter. The biggest expectation of the students is that the investigation should be completed in a fair and timely manner, so that the credibility of future competitive examinations is maintained. In the coming days, the CBI investigation and court proceedings will decide the direction of this high-profile case.