New Delhi, 15 May (H.S.):

The Rouse Avenue Court has sent Dhanya Lokhande, an accused in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question‑paper leak case, to six days of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody. Special Judge Ajay Gupta passed the order sending him to CBI custody.

It is alleged that Manisha Waghmare supplied the NEET question paper to Dhanya Lokhande, who later passed it on to Shubham Khairewar. The CBI said investigations concerning Manisha Waghmare are ongoing.

Earlier, the Court on 14 May had sent five accused to seven days of CBI custody. Those directed to CBI custody include Shubham Khairewar of Nashik, Mangilal Bivall, Vikas Bivall, and Dinash Bivall from Jaipur, and Yash Yadav from Gurugram. Shubham Khairewar, a resident of Nashik, Maharashtra, was arrested in Mumbai on 13 May and brought to Delhi on two days of transit remand.

The CBI said that, even before the NEET examination on 3 May, the question paper was circulated in PDF format via WhatsApp and Telegram. On a complaint filed by Varun Bhadwaj, Director of the Higher Education Department at the National Testing Agency (NTA), the CBI had registered an FIR on 12 May in this matter.

According to the CBI, in April Shubham of Nashik contacted Yash Yadav and claimed that Mangilal had approached him and offered between ₹10 lakh and ₹12 lakh to arrange the NEET question paper for his son’s exam. On 29 April, Yash Yadav allegedly made the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology question papers available in PDF format through Telegram.

After obtaining the paper, Mangilal allegedly took printouts and shared them with his son Aman Bivall, relatives, and other acquaintances.

Following allegations that the NEET question paper for the exam scheduled for 3 May was leaked, the examination was annulled. The Central Government had ordered a CBI probe into the case. The revised NEET‑UG examination will now be conducted on 21 June.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar