NEET UG paper leak case: Delhi court extends judicial custody of 13 accused; CBI says more arrests likely

A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of 13 accused arrested in connection with the NEET paper leak, until 20, July 24, as the CBI informed that the probe was still underway and they had to interrogate the accused for more arrests. The accused were produced before the Rouse Avenue court through video conferencing after the expiry of their previous judicial custody.

During the hearing, the CBI maintained that investigations are at a critical stage and therefore efforts are underway to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the case and trace the financial transactions linked to the case. The agency told the court that further arrests were expected as the investigation progressed.

The court in response to the bail application by accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, who runs RCC Classes, a coaching institute in Latur, Maharashtra issued a notice to CBI seeking its response and scheduled the matter for July 15. Another accused, Dr. Manoj Shirure, has also moved a bail plea, which is listed for hearing on July 14.

The investigating agency concluded that no NTA official or government officer was involved in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak. Investigators say the leak originated from teachers contracted by the NTA to set examination papers. It is expected to file its charge sheet this month and may recommend a complete overhaul of NTA examination procedures, adopting stricter security and transparency measures similar to those used by the UPSC.