The order was passed by Special Judge Vijeta Singh Rawat, who accepted the CBI's plea seeking an extension of the accused's judicial custody. The application was presented by Special Public Prosecutor V.K. Pathak during the hearing.
The 10 accused were produced before the court virtually after their earlier period of judicial custody came to an end on Monday.
Those whose custody has been extended include Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Havaldar, and Dr. Manoj Shirure.
Meanwhile, the remaining three accused in the case are already in judicial custody under separate orders. The alleged kingpin, P.V. Kulkarni, along with Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, remains in judicial custody until July 8, while Manisha Gurunath Mandhare has been remanded to judicial custody until June 30.
Background of the NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak
The controversy began after allegations of a question paper leak surfaced following the NEET-UG examination held on May 3, 2026. In response, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the examination on May 12 and conducted a fresh test on June 21, giving over 20 lakh medical aspirants another opportunity to appear for the entrance exam.
The paper leak sparked nationwide outrage and raised serious concerns about the integrity of one of India's largest medical entrance examinations.
CBI Investigation
The CBI registered a case after receiving a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
According to the agency, the FIR includes charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence, and offences under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
The investigation is ongoing as the CBI continues to examine the alleged network behind the paper leak and identify those responsible for compromising the examination process.
