Special Judge Ajay Gupta of the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi took cognisance of the 20,000-page CBI charge sheet against 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.
The 13 accused, including Prahlad Vitthal Rao Kulkarni and Yash Yadav, appeared before the Delhi court via video conferencing from Tihar Jail.
The CBI's massive dossier against the accused is supported by testimonies from 360 witnesses, 422 documents, and 43 material objects.
Special Judge Ajay Gupta of the Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday took cognisance of a 20,000-page charge sheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation against 13 individuals in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, ANI reported.
The CBI filed an application requesting permission to investigate the matter further. The court subsequently sought responses from the accused regarding this plea.
Gupta scheduled the hearing for Thursday to hear arguments on framing the charges and to address the agency's application.
Massive Chargesheet and Accused
The 13 accused individuals appeared before the court through a video conference from Tihar Jail, where they remain in judicial custody. They are Manish Mandhare, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Manisha Waghmare, Prahlad Vitthal Rao Kulkarni, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, Dr Manoj Shirure, Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah, Dhananjay Lokhande, Shubham Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal.
Advocate A P Singh appeared for Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal and Vikas Biwal. Advocate Vikram Singh represented Dhananjay Lokhande, while Advocate Pradeep Yadav appeared for Yash Yadav.
The massive dossier relies on 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects to establish the case.
The accused face serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust and destruction of evidence. The CBI also invoked provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Origins of the Investigation
The NEET-UG 2026 examination took place on 3 May. Following reports of irregularities, the Department of Higher Education submitted a formal written complaint on 12 May, prompting the CBI to register a first information report the same day.
Authorities arrested the first suspect in the high-profile case on 13 May.
The agency deployed 72 officers and eight cyber forensic experts to raid 92 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other states. The searches led to the seizure of digital and communication devices, documents and other material, which underwent forensic imaging and analysis.
Investigators arrested three National Testing Agency subject experts specialising in Chemistry, Biology and Physics. They also apprehended several middlemen and two individuals associated with coaching institutes who allegedly acquired the leaked question papers.
Analysing the money trail helped the CBI freeze multiple bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account belonging to the accused.
(With ANI Inputs)
