NEET paper leak: Delhi court sends Lokhande to 6-day CBI custody

A Delhi court on Thursday sent NEET paper leak case accused Dhananjay Lokhande to six days’ CBI custody.

Special CBI judge Ajay Gupta allowed the agency’s plea seeking six days’ custodial interrogation of Lokhande, who had been arrested from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra, and brought to the court on a transit remand.

During the proceedings, the CBI submitted that Lokhande gave the leaked paper to co-accused Shubham, which he had received from another accused, Manisha Baghmare.

The central probe agency said the larger conspiracy needs to be unearthed, and that the investigation was still in its early stages, and at a crucial juncture.

Lokhande’s lawyer said he was not given the grounds of arrest, and he was made to give his signature on plain paper. Earlier in the day, the court sent five other accused to seven days’ CBI custody.

These five were Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, Mangilal Biwal from Jaipur, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, and Yash Yadav from Gurugram.

They were taken into custody by the agency after a transit remand was secured from different states.

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The NEET (UG) 2026 exam for admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges, held on May 3, was cancelled on Tuesday amid allegations of paper leak.

The government asked the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities.”