NEET Paper Leak Case: Accused Sent To Judicial Custody Till June 6

NEW DELHI, May 24: A Delhi court on Sunday sent accused Shubham Khairnar to judicial custody till June 6 in the NEET paper leak case.

Special Judge Ruchi Aggarwal allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea seeking judicial custody of the accused.

Earlier, on May 14, the court had remanded Khairnar and four others to seven-day CBI custody, observing that the allegations pointed to the involvement of an “organised gang” engaged in leaking and circulating confidential examination papers for monetary gain.

Khairnar’s custodial interrogation was later extended by five days on May 20 after the CBI informed the court that further questioning was required to identify and apprehend other accused allegedly linked to the sale of NEET-UG 2026 question papers.

The agency said it also needed to recover and analyse digital devices, communication records and financial transactions connected to the alleged paper leak network.

According to the CBI, the larger conspiracy and source of the leaked question paper were yet to be unearthed and the accused had to be taken to different locations, including Nashik in Maharashtra, for investigation.

The agency further told the court that Khairnar needed to be questioned to identify places where the leaked questions were allegedly shared with candidates.

Meanwhile, court sources said Pune-based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, arrested on Friday, was on transit remand and is likely to be produced before the concerned court on Monday.

Sources added that five other accused would also be produced before the court after completion of their CBI custody on May 25.

The CBI has so far arrested 10 accused in the case.

The NEET (UG) 2026 examination, conducted on May 3 for admission to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled two days later following allegations of paper leak. The Centre subsequently handed over the probe into the alleged irregularities to the CBI. (Agencies)