NEET UG 2026 exam: Here’s all about new ‘student-friendly’ changes announced by NTA
According to the NTA public notice issued today, the examination window has been extended to 195 minutes and will now be conducted from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM.
According to the NTA public notice issued today, the examination window has been extended to 195 minutes and will now be conducted from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has maintained that the case involves a larger conspiracy spanning multiple individuals, with investigators working to trace how the examination paper was allegedly obtained, circulated and monetised before the 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.
In a detailed affidavit filed before the apex court, the NTA said the cancellation of the May 3 examination and the subsequent transfer of the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reflected the seriousness with which the agency and the Union Government viewed the issue of examination integrity.
The fresh arrests take the total number of accused held so far to 13 in a case that has triggered nationwide outrage over the integrity of one of India’s biggest medical entrance examinations.
The CBI has alleged that Khairnar played a crucial role in obtaining and circulating the leaked NEET-UG examination paper through contacts linked to the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The agency further submitted before the court that simultaneous investigations were underway in different parts of the country and custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the wider network and recover additional evidence.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said the teacher, identified as Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was allegedly part of a larger network that facilitated access to questions later found in the cancelled NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.
The minister, however, clarified that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG will continue to be conducted once a year.
The NTA announcement also gave relief to students, whose exams in different phases got canceled due to some technical issues at the centers.
