​​​​​​​New Delhi, July 23: Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, owner of RCC Classes in Maharashtra's Latur and an accused in the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case, withdrew his bail plea before a Delhi court on Thursday.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta allowed the withdrawal after Motegaonkar's counsel informed the court that the accused did not wish to pursue the application at this stage and sought liberty to file a fresh bail plea later. The court subsequently dismissed the application as withdrawn.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that Motegaonkar played an active role in the conspiracy to leak the NEET UG 2026 chemistry question paper before the examination.

According to the agency, Motegaonkar allegedly paid Rs 5 lakh to Prahalad Kulkarni, the chemistry paper setter engaged by the National Testing Agency (NTA), to obtain the question paper in advance. Investigators claim he received the leaked chemistry questions and answers on April 23, 2026, ahead of the scheduled examination, and distributed them to several students.

The CBI further alleged that a copy of the leaked question paper was recovered from Motegaonkar's mobile phone. During earlier proceedings, the investigating officer also informed the court that a video purportedly shows Motegaonkar telling students that the questions he had provided matched those in the actual examination paper.

The agency has opposed his bail, maintaining that he was directly involved in procuring and distributing the leaked paper as part of a larger conspiracy.