Delhi Court Extends Custody of Five NEET Leak Suspects Till June 15

A Delhi court on Tuesday sent five people accused in the NEET undergraduate entrance exam paper leak case to judicial custody until June 15. The accused include Manoj Shirure and Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, both central to the investigation that has shaken India's medical college admission system.

Court Ruling and Custody Details

Metropolitan Magistrate Priya Sharma ordered the five suspects to remain in judicial custody following a hearing at the Patiala House Courts complex in central Delhi. Prosecutors told the court that investigators needed additional time to analyse electronic devices and bank records seized during raids across multiple states.

The extension means the accused will stay at Tihar Jail while police continue building their case. Their lawyers had argued for bail, citing lack of direct evidence linking their clients to the actual leak point. The magistrate rejected those arguments, citing the complexity and scale of the alleged fraud.

Who the Accused Are

Manoj Shirure operated a coaching centre in Bhopal before his arrest. Investigators claim he coordinated with other suspects to source and distribute the question paper before the May 5 examination. Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar worked as a school administrator in Nagpur and allegedly facilitated the transfer of exam materials through corrupt school staff.

The three other accused—whose names are under a court-issued media restriction order—reportedly acted as intermediaries, moving money and information between cities including Lucknow, Ranchi, and Patna. Police have identified at least ₹45 lakh in suspicious transactions linked to the group.

How the Leak Allegedly Worked

According to charge sheets filed in the case, the accused accessed the question paper approximately 72 hours before the exam was scheduled. They then shared it with at least 15 aspirants across five states through encrypted messaging applications. Each student allegedly paid between ₹3 lakh and ₹8 lakh for advance access.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which took over the case from state police in June, has traced the leak's origin to a printing press in Karnal, Haryana. Three employees at that facility are also in custody facing separate charges.

Impact on Students and Families

Over 23 lakh students appeared for NEET this year. The scandal has left thousands of families in limbo, unsure whether their children's results remain valid. The National Testing Agency, which administers NEET, cancelled the results of 1,563 candidates in June after detecting unusual answer patterns at specific examination centres.

Parents in states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh have held protests demanding a fresh examination. The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions seeking either a re-test or complete cancellation of the May 5 results.

What's Next in the Case

The next scheduled hearing is June 18, when the prosecution will present additional witness statements. CBI officials said they expect to file a supplementary charge sheet by the end of June that could include more arrests.

Defence lawyers have indicated they will challenge the admissibility of certain electronic evidence, arguing that police violated protocol during the initial searches. A decision on that motion could delay proceedings by several weeks.

For the families waiting for clarity, the next major date to watch is July 10, when the Supreme Court has posted arguments on whether to order a nationwide re-examination. That ruling will determine whether over a million students must return to exam halls or whether their futures remain tied to results now stained by allegations of widespread cheating.