New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of five accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case until June 15, as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continues its probe into the alleged examination fraud.
Special Judge Ajay Gupta allowed the CBI’s application seeking continued judicial custody of Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Yash Yadav and Dhananjay Lokhande. The three Biwal accused were arrested from Jaipur, Yadav was apprehended in Gurugram, while Lokhande was arrested from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district.
The five accused had previously been sent to judicial custody on May 20, which ended on June 2.
During the proceedings, counsel for accused Yash Yadav informed the court that his client had been granted permission to access study materials and books to prepare for the rescheduled NEET examination.
The development comes a day after the court sent three other accused — physics lecturer and NTA translator Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, paediatrician Dr Manoj Shirure and physics teacher Tejas Harshadkumar Shah — to 14 days of judicial custody.
According to the CBI, a total of 13 individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the alleged paper leak.
The controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that the NEET-UG 2026 question paper had been leaked before the examination held on May 3. Following the allegations, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the exam on May 12.
The re-examination is scheduled to be conducted on June 21, while the CBI continues to investigate the alleged network involved in the leak.
