New Delhi – A Delhi court has remanded five individuals accused in the NEET paper leak case to judicial custody until June 2, while extending the CBI custody of another accused, raising further questions about the integrity of the examination process. Special Judge Ajay Gupta granted the agency’s request to hold Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal, Dinesh Biwal (all arrested from Jaipur), Yash Yadav (arrested from Gurugram), and Dhananjay Lokhande (arrested from Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra) in judicial custody. The court also allowed the CBI an additional five days to interrogate Shubham Khairnar.
The CBI, in its remand application, argued that further questioning of Khairnar was crucial to identify and apprehend additional individuals involved in the alleged sale of the NEET-UG 2026 papers. As per information available with TahirRihat.com, the agency also aims to recover and analyze digital devices and evidence, including communication records, to trace the financial trail connected to the alleged paper leak network. The agency emphasized the need to uncover the broader conspiracy and the source of the leaked question paper, requiring the accused to be taken to various locations across the country, including Nashik in Maharashtra.
According to the CBI’s submissions, the interrogation of Khairnar is also intended to pinpoint the sites where the exam questions were allegedly revealed to certain candidates. Previously, on May 14, the same court had placed Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Yash Yadav, and Shubham Khairnar in CBI custody for seven days, citing the allegations as indicative of an “organised gang” involved in leaking and circulating confidential examination papers for financial gain. The following day, Lokhande was remanded to six days of CBI custody, with the court highlighting the necessity for the agency to fully investigate the conspiracy, identify and arrest other individuals involved, recover evidence, and prevent any tampering.
The federal agency also sought signature specimens from accused Manisha Mandhare and Shivraj Motegaonkar on Wednesday, underscoring the ongoing investigation. To date, the CBI has arrested 10 individuals in connection with the case. These include Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni, identified as the alleged kingpin, and Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, who were remanded to CBI custody for 10 days on May 16. On the same day, Manisha Mandhare, a biology lecturer who served on the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) paper-setting committee, was arrested and subsequently placed in 14 days of CBI custody on May 17.
The CBI alleges that Waghmare conspired with a public servant associated with the NTA and others to acquire the NEET exam question paper and answers, which she then provided to various individuals, including some of the accused like Lokhande, in exchange for money. The agency further alleges that Kulkarni, together with Waghmare and others, provided the “confidential exam-related material” to “selected students.” Kulkarni, described as a “subject expert,” allegedly received “substantial amounts of money” for his involvement.
The tenth arrest was Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar, the founder of the Renukai Career Centre (RCC) coaching institute, who was apprehended on the evening of May 17 in Latur. In its remand application submitted to the court the next day, the CBI stated that Motegoankar was involved in leaking and circulating NEET UG exam questions for the year 2026. (The CBI reported that, in conspiracy with other accused individuals, Motegoankar received the chemistry questions and answers prior to the examination, specifically on April 23, 2026.) On May 18, the court remanded him to nine days of CBI custody, noting that the investigation was in its early stages.
The NEET (UG) 2026 exam, which is used for admissions to undergraduate medical courses and was held on May 3, was cancelled just two days later amid allegations of a paper leak. The government has directed the CBI to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into these alleged irregularities. The unfolding investigation and the arrests highlight the serious concerns surrounding the integrity of the NEET examination and potential vulnerabilities in the testing process.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.
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