Delhi Court Sends Three Accused in NEET Paper Leak Case to 14-Day Judicial Custody

A Delhi court on Monday sent three accused in the NEET paper leak case — a physics lecturer empanelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a translator, a Latur-based paediatrician and a physics tutor — to 14 days' judicial custody.

Special Judge Ajay Gupta allowed the CBI's plea seeking judicial custody of Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, all of whom have been arrested in connection with the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.

Hawaldar's CBI custody had been extended by two days on Saturday, while Shirure and Shah were remanded to five days of custodial interrogation on May 27.

According to the CBI, Hawaldar, a physics lecturer who was empanelled by the NTA as a translator, conspired with other accused persons to illegally retain and distribute the NEET-UG question paper in exchange for money.

The agency alleged that Shirure, a paediatrician based in Maharashtra's Latur district, played a “key role” in helping three students obtain Chemistry questions from NEET paper setter P V Kulkarni. One of the students was the son of Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, who runs Renukai Chemistry Classes (RCC) in Latur.

The CBI has already arrested Motegaonkar and Kulkarni, whom it describes as the alleged kingpin of the operation.

Shah, a physics teacher at the Pune-based Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA), was also arrested for his alleged involvement in the case. Investigators claim he received leaked Physics questions for NEET-UG 2026 from Hawaldar.

So far, the CBI has arrested 13 people in connection with the case.

The controversy erupted after allegations of a paper leak surfaced following the May 3 NEET-UG examination. On May 12, the NTA cancelled the test, formally known as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), which is conducted for admissions to medical courses across the country.

A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.