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A Delhi court on Sunday (May 24, 2026) sent accused Shubham Khairnar to judicial custody till June 6 in the NEET paper leak case.
Special Judge Ruchi Aggarwal Asrani allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) plea seeking judicial custody of the accused.
The federal agency said that the accused persons, including Mr. Khairnar, were "actively" involved in the leakage of NEET-UG 2026 examination questions prior to the commencement of the examination.
In its remand paper, the CBI said, "For the purpose of conducting investigation, the arrested accused persons are required to be in judicial custody to prevent tampering with evidence and influence upon witnesses connected with the investigation."
The agency said that judicial custody was also needed to prevent the accused from absconding, destroying physical or digital evidence, and engaging in "further commission of similar offences involving leakage of questions."
"The case is currently at the initial stage of investigation, and judicial custody is required in the interest of the case. It is further submitted that the police custody remand may be required [of Kairnar] in the investigation again, as per the legal provisions, depending on developments in the case," the plea said.
Earlier, on May 14, a court had sent Mr. Khairnar and four others to CBI custody for seven days, observing that the allegations indicated the role of an "organised gang" involved in leaking and circulating confidential examination papers for monetary gain.
Mr. Khairnar's custodial interrogation was extended by five days on May 20 after the CBI stated that the accused needed to be further examined to identify and apprehend other co-accused to whom he had sold the NEET-UG 2026 papers.
The agency also cited the need to recover and analyse digital devices and evidence, including communication records and financial trail connected to the "paper leak network".
The CBI had further submitted that the larger conspiracy and source of the leaked question paper had to be unearthed, and the accused had to be taken to various parts of the country, including Nasik in Maharashtra.
According to the CBI, Mr. Khairnar also had to be interrogated to identify locations where questions were revealed to certain candidates.
Meanwhile, court sources said that Pune-based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, arrested on Friday (May 22, 2026), was presently in transit remand and is likely to be produced before the court concerned on Monday (May 25).
They added that five other accused will also be produced before the court after their CBI custody ends on May 25.
The CBI has so far arrested 10 accused in the case.
The NEET (UG) 2026 exam for admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges, held on May 3, was cancelled two days later amid allegations of paper leak.
The government has asked the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the "irregularities".
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