The investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak gathered further momentum on Monday after a Delhi court sent three accused, including a doctor from Maharashtra’s Latur and a Pune-based coaching faculty member, to judicial custody till June 15. The development comes amid the Central Bureau of Investigation’s widening crackdown on a coordinated network involved in leaking and circulating exam papers before the national medical entrance test.
The Rouse Avenue Court remanded Dr Manoj Shirure, Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to two weeks’ judicial custody as the CBI continued its probe into the alleged malpractice linked to the examination process.
दिल्ली: NEET UG 2026 पेपर लीक मामले में कस्टडी का समय समाप्त होने के बाद सीबीआई ने आरोपी डॉ. मनोज शिरुरे, तेजस हर्षद कुमार शाह और मनीषा संजय हवलदार को राउज एवेन्यू कोर्ट के सामने पेश किया। pic.twitter.com/WmVxqCB38W
— IANS Hindi (@IANSKhabar) June 1, 2026
Probe centres on alleged question access
According to the CBI, Dr Manoj Shirure allegedly helped three students secure access to Chemistry questions before the examination. Investigators claimed one of the beneficiaries was the son of a coaching institute owner who is also under scrutiny in the case.
The agency alleged that the leaked material was sourced through an individual identified as the alleged “kingpin” P.V. Kulkarni.
The investigation has also placed focus on Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a Physics faculty member associated with Pune-based Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA).
CBI officials alleged that Shah received leaked Physics questions through co-accused Manisha Havaldar as part of the larger conspiracy surrounding the entrance examination.
Nationwide searches conducted
The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case was formally registered by the CBI on May 12 following a complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education.
Since taking over the investigation, the agency has carried out searches at 49 locations across the country. Officials said multiple electronic devices, documents and digital records have been seized during the operations and are currently being examined.
Wider network under investigation
The arrests are being viewed as part of the CBI’s attempt to trace the full chain behind the alleged leak operation, including those suspected of procuring, transmitting and distributing examination papers before the test.
The agency has maintained that the investigation is continuing on multiple fronts and that efforts are underway to identify every individual connected to the alleged examination fraud.