New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday, May 26, sent a Latur-based paediatrician and a Physics tutor arrested in the NEET-UG paper leak case to five days of CBI custody, saying custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the larger conspiracy.

Special Judge Vidya Prakash allowed the agency’s plea to quiz the accused, paediatrician Manoj Bhagwanrao Shirure and Physics teacher Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah, for five more days and allowed the plea.

With this, the total number of arrests made in the paper leak case went up to 13.

“Court is satisfied that there are sufficient grounds to allow the request for grant of their police custody remand for five days,” the court said in an order.

Both the accused will be produced before the court on June 1.

The agency arrested both the accused on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in the leak and dissemination of the NEET exam.

Special Public Prosecutor V K Pathak made submissions before the court and said that Shirure was an “active conspirator” in the organised crime relating to the leakage of the exam and had played a crucial role in procuring and disseminating confidential examination material before the test.

He alleged that Shah had received Physics questions and notes from co-accused Manisha Havaldar before the examination and later forwarded them to the husband of another accused.

“Accused did not co-operate during investigation and did not reveal about utilisation of Physics questions and notes related to NEET (UG) 2026 Exam,” he said.

Seeking police custody, the agency argued that custodial interrogation of both accused was required to identify and apprehend other accused persons, recover digital evidence, trace financial transactions and uncover the larger network behind the paper leak.

The judge noted that the grounds of arrest had been communicated to the accused and their family members and relevant documents had been supplied.

The court said the allegations showed the accused were part of a larger syndicate involved in leaking the examination paper before the scheduled date of the test.

“It is evident that investigation is at an initial stage and there are sufficient grounds to allow police custody remand,” the court said.

The judge directed the investigating officer to conduct medical examinations of both accused every 24 hours and ensure their safety and proper diet during custody.

The court also allowed Shirure’s plea seeking access to legal counsel during interrogation.

It directed the CBI to permit one of his lawyers to remain present at a visible but non-audible distance during questioning and allowed him to meet his counsel daily for 45 minutes between 5 pm and 6 pm.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.