09 June,2026 05:58 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
NSUI members stage a protest against the alleged NEET paper leak, in Ranchi. PIC/PTI
A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Manisha Waghmare, an accused in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2026 paper leak case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The order was passed by the Rouse Avenue Court after hearing arguments from both sides.
During the hearing, Waghmare's counsel submitted that she is a certified education counsellor and earns a regular income through counselling services. The defence argued that the CBI's allegation regarding a financial transaction was misconceived, stating that around Rs 3.5 lakh credited to her account had come from the execution of a gift deed related to ancestral property.
It was further argued that the central agency had carried out searches at her residence on two occasions but did not recover any cash or material linking her to the alleged offence.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI contended that Waghmare was not only an education consultant but also ran a beauty parlour and played an active role in circulating leaked examination questions. The probe agency alleged that she was involved in leaking examination questions to students in exchange for money and relied on statements of candidates who reportedly said they had paid her for access to the leaked questions.
After considering the rival submissions, the Rouse Avenue Court rejected the bail application.
The case relates to the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper, following which the CBI registered an FIR on May 12 based on a complaint filed by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education.
According to the CBI, Waghmare was among intermediaries involved in mobilising students who allegedly paid lakhs of rupees to attend special coaching sessions where questions that later appeared in the NEET (UG) 2026 examination were dictated and discussed.
The agency has also claimed that Pune-based consultant Waghmare facilitated prospective candidates for special coaching classes conducted by NTA-appointed senior Botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, who is suspected to be the co-mastermind of the Biology paper leak. The CBI has identified Chemistry professor PV Kulkarni as the alleged "kingpin" of the paper leak network.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is scheduled to conduct the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, with admit cards expected to be issued by June 14. The original examination was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to direct the NTA to conduct the re-examination in computer-based test (CBT) mode. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar observed that such a direction could not be granted at that stage as authorities were already engaged in conducting the fresh examination. The matter has been posted for hearing in July along with other pleas seeking reforms in the functioning of the NTA. The re-test is set to proceed in the existing pen-and-paper format.
(With IANS inputs)
