NEET paper leak: Latur doctor, Pune faculty in CBI custody till June 1

The Rouse Avenue court sent Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah to CBI custody till June 1 in the NEET UG paper leak case. Shirure is accused of leaking Chemistry questions, while Shah allegedly obtained and shared Physics questions.

The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday granted police custody of Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah to CBI till June 1 in connection with the NEET UG paper leak case.

Earlier, Dr Manoj Shirure, a Latur-based doctor, was arrested for his role in facilitating three students--including the son of an accused coaching centre owner--in obtaining leaked Chemistry questions from accused PV Kulkarni. The second arrest involves Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a Physics faculty member at the Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA), a coaching centre in Pune. The statement by CBI noted that he had obtained the leaked Physics questions from another arrested accused, Manisha Havaldar.

CBI Probes 'Larger Conspiracy'

Special Judge Vidya Prakash granted five days' police custody of Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah after the CBI sought their custodial interrogation in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the leakage and distribution of the NEET UG examination paper.

Prahalad Kulkarni and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, who were produced before the court after CBI interrogation, were remanded to judicial custody till June 10. The agency had sought 14 days' judicial custody for both accused.

Dr Shirure and Tejas Shah were produced before the court following their fresh arrest. Appearing for the CBI, Public Prosecutor V K Pathak, along with Deputy SP Pawan Kumar Kaushik, sought five days' custody of Dr Shirure and Shah to interrogate them in connection with a larger Conspiracy related to the paper leak.

The CBI alleged that Dr Manoj Shirure took Rs 5 lakh from accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar and claimed that the same amount was recovered from the house of Shirure's sister.

Defence Challenges Shirure's Custody

Opposing the remand application, counsel for Dr Shirure argued that he had joined the investigation at Latur on May 19, even before his arrest, and had fully cooperated with the probe.

The defence submitted that Shirure had already been interrogated thrice on different dates prior to his arrest and that the CBI had been in possession of his mobile phone since May 19, a fact not mentioned in the remand application.

The counsel further argued that the CBI only had the disclosure statement of co-accused Kulkarni and the recovery of Rs 5 lakh from the house of Shirure's sister against him.

Seeking Shirure's release, the counsel said that the arrest was illegal and claimed that the CBI had failed to mention nearly 50 hours of prior interrogation.

The counsel also submitted that Shirure and his wife are well-known doctors.

CBI Rebuts Defence Arguments

Rebutting the submissions, the CBI argued that the defence wants us to produce the entire evidence on day one before the court The agency maintained that Dr Shirure had an active role in the leakage of the NEET UG examination paper and was an integral part of the conspiracy.

During the hearing, the court asked the CBI to explain the requirement for five days' custody. The CBI responded that several accused persons are involved in the case and searches are ongoing in different parts of the country.

Allegations Against Tejas Shah

Regarding Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah, the CBI informed the court that he is a Physics faculty member at Pune's Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (PMLA). The agency alleged that Tejas provided the Physics examination paper to Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, an empanelled expert who is also in custody.

According to the CBI, the same paper was recovered from Hawaldar's mobile phone. The CBI further submitted that it requires Shah's custody to determine where the exam paper was utilised.

The agency added that his custody was required to collect evidence, digital evidence, and to identify other accused in this case. He is to be confronted with other accused persons, the CBI added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)