NEET-UG Paper Leak Case: Delhi Court Extends Custody of 10 Accused Till July 11

The investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case continued to gather pace on Monday after a Delhi court extended the judicial custody of 10 accused until July 11 , allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) more time to carry forward its probe into one of the country's biggest examination scandals.

Special Judge Vijeta Singh Rawat accepted the CBI's request to extend the custody of the accused, who were produced before the court virtually after the expiry of their earlier judicial custody.

Those whose custody has been extended include Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Havaldar, and Dr Manoj Shirure .

Among the remaining accused, the alleged kingpin P V Kulkarni and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar are already in judicial custody until July 8 , while Manisha Gurunath Mandhare has been remanded to judicial custody until June 30 .

The case stems from the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper, which triggered nationwide outrage and raised serious concerns over the integrity of India's medical entrance examination system. Acting on the controversy, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the examination conducted on May 3 , forcing more than 20 lakh medical aspirants to appear once again in a re-examination held on June 21 .

The controversy quickly snowballed into a major political and administrative issue, with students and parents demanding accountability and stronger safeguards for public examinations.

The CBI launched its investigation after receiving a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education . The agency registered an FIR alleging a wide ranging conspiracy involving offences such as criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence, along with violations under the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 .

With multiple accused already in custody and the investigation still underway, the agency is expected to continue examining the alleged network behind the leak, tracing the flow of confidential examination material, and identifying any additional individuals involved. The findings of the probe are likely to play a crucial role in determining accountability in a case that has shaken the confidence of millions of students and their families.