New Delhi, August 13 : The Rouse Avenue court on Thursday reserved its order on CBI's application seeking permission for further investigation. The court will pass the order on Friday on the application.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the court has deferred the arguments after counsel for the accused raised some issues regarding the supply of documents filed along with the charge sheet by the CBI.

 

 

 

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against 13 accused persons, and the court was hearing the arguments on charge.

 

 

 

Special Judge (Fast Track) Ajay Gupta reserved the order on the application after hearing the submissions by CBI's Senior Public Prosecutor V K Pathak.

 

 

 

During the hearing, Senior Public Prosecutor Pathak submitted that the agency wants to further investigate the matter in the context of some digital evidence that surfaced and regarding some persons other than the accused persons. The agency is seeking permission for the same.

 

 

 

He also submitted that the accused persons have no right to oppose the application as they don't have any locus to oppose the application.

 

 

 

Advocate Hemant Shah alongwith Akash Mann and Vishal Maan opposed the application, submitting that the accused persons should be heard on the application as it has been filed after filing of the charge sheet.

 

 

 

Advocate Kapil Yadav and Ambika Yadav appeared for Accused Yash Yadav and also opposed the application. Advocate Akhil Rexwal appeared for Accused Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar and opposed the application of CBI.

 

 

 

Advocate A P Singh appeared through video conferencing and did not oppose the application. He is representing accused Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal and Vikas Biwal. Advocate Vikram Singh appearedfor Accused Dhananjay Lokhande.

 

 

 

The court on August 12 took cognisance of the CBI charge sheet filed against 13 in the NEET UG Paper leak 2026 case.

 

 

 

The CBI has filed a 20000 pages charge sheet against 13 accused persons.

 

 

 

Special Judge (Fast track court) Ajay Gupta took cognisance of the charge sheet and had listed the matter for hearing the arguments on framing of charges.

 

 

 

The accused persons are Manish Mandhare, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Manisha Waghmare, Prahlad Vitthal Rao Kulkarni, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, Dr Manoj Shirure, Tejas Harshad kumar Shah, Dhanjay Lokhande, Shubham Khairnar, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal. All accused persons were produced through video conferencing from Tihar Jail.

 

 

 

The CBI has filed a charge sheet running to 20000 pages in the NEET UG Paper leak case against the 13 accused, namely Manisha Mandhare, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, Manisha Waghmare, PV Kulkarni, Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, Dr. Manoj Shirure, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Dhananjay Lokhande, Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal.

 

 

 

The charge sheet has been filed for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence and others under BNS; for the offence of criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act; and for offences under the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. CBI cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects in this charge sheet. All 13 chargesheeted persons are in judicial custody as on date.

 

 

 

The agency said that the Department of Higher Education, Government of India had lodged a written complaint on May 12 regarding irregularities and allegations of paper leak in NEET-UG 2026 Examination, which was held on May 3.

 

 

 

The CBI said it registered the FIR on 12.05.2026 and immediately formed multiple teams with 72 officers/ personnel along with 08 Cyber Forensic Experts.

 

 

 

Searches were conducted at 92 locations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and other States. These searches led to the seizure of incriminating material like digital and communication devices, documents etc. Forensic imaging and analysis of the incriminating material have been undertaken.

 

 

 

The first arrest in this case was made on 13.05.2026. A total of 13 accused have been arrested in the case, which included 3 NTA subject experts of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Several middlemen who have sourced and distributed these leaked questions have also been identified and arrested.

 

 

 

Two individuals associated with coaching institutes have also been arrested for obtaining these leaked question papers from the above experts. The money trail analysis was done, and several bank accounts, bank lockers and a demat account of the accused have been frozen, the CBI said.