A Delhi court granted the CBI nine days custody of Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, a coaching centre owner from Latur, arrested in connection with the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case. He is accused of leaking the chemistry paper before the exam.
The Rouse Avenue court on Monday granted nine days custody of Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar to the CBI who was arrested in Pune in connection with the NEET UG Paper leak case. The CBI alleged that he is actively involved in the conspiracy of leakage of the chemistry exam paper before the NEET UG Exam 2026. He runs an RCC Institute of Coaching in Latur, Maharashtra. Special CBI Judge Ajay Gupta granted the custody.
The CBI sought 10 days custody of Motegaonkar. While granting the custody, the court said that the custody of accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar has been sought in order to identify and apprehend the other co-accused persons involved in the offence and also to recover and analyse the digital devices/digital evidences and communication records, as well as the financial trail connected to the NEET 2026 examination and paper leak network.
"The investigation is at its very initial and crucial stage, therefore, keeping in view all the detailed facts and circumstances discussed above and the prayer made in the present application (for police custody remand), the present application is allowed and accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar is remanded to police custody for 9 days, subject to his medical examination," the court ordered.
Accused Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar is to be produced before the court on May 26. Investigation officer Deputy SP Pawan Kumar Kaushik produced Motegaonkar before the court after the expiry of the transit remand. Senior Public Prosecutors Neetu Singh and V K Pathak appeared for the CBI.
CBI's Investigation and Allegations
The CBI alleged that Motegaonkar is involved in the leakage of the question paper and the distribution of the same in Conspiracy with other Accused persons. His links with the accused Prahalad Kulkarni are under investigation As per the CBI, he provided a copy of the leaked exam paper to students and runs a coaching centre. He allegedly leaked the chemistry exam paper before the examination.
The CBI submitted that this accused had received the chemistry questions and answers of NEET 2026 on April 23, 2026, prior to the scheduled date of examination. It was further submitted that the said leaked question paper has been found in the mobile phone of the accused Shivraj, who also provided the leaked question paper and answers to several persons.
On a query, the investigation officer said that there is a video showing him saying that the questions he gave to the students are in the question paper. Counsel for the accused opposed the 10-day custody.
The CBI said that a question paper was recovered from his mobile. Senior Public Prosecutor submitted that the custody of the arrested accused is required for custodial interrogation and also in order to take him to a different part of the country for investigation. He further submitted that his custody is also required to prevent the commission of similar offences involving leakage of question papers; apprehension of other co-accused; to recover and analyse the digital devices and digital evidence and financial trail; and to unearth the larger conspiracy and source of the leaked NEET UG 2026 Question paper.
Court Notes Larger Conspiracy
The court noted that the allegations against the accused persons involved in the present case are that they are part of an organised paper leak gang, and each one of them played an active role in leaking and circulating the NEET 2026 exam paper. The said illegal activities were allegedly undertaken by them well before the scheduled examination date of May 3, 2026.
In the fact-finding inquiry conducted by SOG Rajasthan, it was reported that a substantial number of questions, which appeared in the actual exam conducted on May 3, had already been leaked and circulated, allegedly, by these accused persons, the court noted. (ANI)
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