NEW DELHI, May 24: A Delhi court on Sunday remanded accused Shubham Khairnar to judicial custody until June 6 in the NEET (UG) 2026 paper leak case, after allowing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea for custody, officials said.
Khairnar was earlier placed in CBI custody along with four others on May 14, when the court noted allegations pointing to an “organised gang” involved in leaking and circulating confidential examination papers for monetary gain. His custodial interrogation was extended on May 20 to enable investigators to identify and apprehend co‑accused and to recover and analyse digital devices, communication records and financial trails linked to the alleged paper‑leak network.
The CBI told the court it needs to probe the larger conspiracy, trace the source of the leaked question paper and take the accused to multiple locations, including Nasik in Maharashtra, for further questioning. Investigators also seek to determine sites where the questions were revealed to certain candidates.
Pune‑based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, arrested on Friday, is in transit remand and is expected to be produced before the concerned court on Monday, court sources said. Five other accused will be produced after their CBI custody ends on May 25. The agency has so far arrested 10 people in connection with the case.
The NEET (UG) 2026 exam, held on May 3 for admission to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled on May 5 following allegations of a paper leak. The government has directed the CBI to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the irregularities
