New Delhi, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : A fast-track court in New Delhi has ordered the 14th suspect in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case to be held in judicial custody for 14 days. The decision was made on September 5, following the suspect’s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The suspect, Sheshrao Bajrang Suryavanshi, was taken into custody after completing a three-day period of CBI detention. He was arrested on Wednesday. The CBI revealed that Suryavanshi is linked to another accused, Shubham Khairnar, a career counselor who was apprehended on May 12 in Nashik. Khairnar faces allegations of disseminating the exam paper via social media.
Last month, the court acknowledged a charge sheet filed by the CBI against 13 other suspects involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The court also approved the agency’s request to expand the investigation into additional suspects and gather more evidence against them. According to a lawyer, a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) indicated the potential involvement of other individuals.
This fast-track court was specifically established to handle cases related to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The CBI noted in its application that the charge sheet clarifies ongoing investigations against several other suspects beyond the 13 already charged. While the investigation into the 13 accused is complete, inquiries into the roles of additional individuals are still underway.
On July 28, the CBI filed a charge sheet against all 13 suspects, alleging that the exam paper was leaked through a network of National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts, intermediaries, coaching operators, and others before the exam on May 3. The agency claims that one of the accused, PV Kulkarni, allegedly wrote down all 135 questions and their answer choices on small pieces of paper and smuggled them out of the confidential section.
The CBI further stated that there were no checks or searches conducted when experts entered or exited the NTA’s confidential department. Another accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, reportedly recreated questions using her knowledge from NCERT textbooks after returning to her hotel. Meanwhile, Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar allegedly noted down physics questions in a summarized form upon returning to her accommodation.
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