New Delhi, June 6: A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of Shubham Khairnar, an accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, till June 15.
Khairnar was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court following the expiry of his earlier judicial custody. Special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta granted the extension after considering an application filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The accused had previously been remanded to judicial custody on May 24.
According to the CBI, Khairnar allegedly procured the leaked NEET-UG examination paper through a source within the National Testing Agency (NTA) and subsequently distributed it to other individuals involved in the conspiracy.
During earlier remand proceedings, the investigating agency had sought custody of the accused to probe the larger conspiracy behind the leak, confront him with electronic evidence, and investigate the involvement of additional suspects. The agency had also informed the court that Khairnar was required to be taken to Maharashtra as part of the investigation.
Appearing for the CBI, Senior Public Prosecutors Neetu Singh and V.K. Pathak argued that further interrogation was necessary to uncover the broader network involved in the paper leak and identify individuals who had received the leaked question paper.
The CBI informed the court that an FIR was registered on May 12, 2026, based on a complaint filed by a government official under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Prevention of Corruption Act, and laws related to the use of unfair means in public examinations.
Investigators alleged that Mangilal Biwal had contacted Khairnar to obtain the NEET-UG question paper for his son, Vikas Biwal. The leaked question paper was reportedly recovered from Mangilal Biwal’s mobile phone during the investigation.The agency further alleged that Mangilal received the leaked paper from co-accused Yash Yadav for Rs 10 lakh. During questioning, Vikas Biwal stated that he had come into contact with Yadav while attending coaching classes in Sikar, Rajasthan.
According to the prosecution, Khairnar first leaked the paper to Yash Yadav, who then passed it to Mangilal Biwal. The paper subsequently reached Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal. Investigators also claim that Mangilal sold the leaked paper to several candidates for Rs 12 lakh each.
The CBI has arrested several other accused in the case, including Manisha Waghmare, chemistry expert Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni, teacher Manish Mandhare, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah. All are currently in judicial custody following interrogation by the agency.
The investigation into the alleged examination paper leak and the wider network behind it is ongoing.