NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the bail application of Manisha Waghmare, a 47-year-old tutor accused in the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case. The premier medical entrance examination leak is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The regular bail plea was rejected by the Rouse Avenue Court, which is designated to hear matters connected to the alleged leak of the national competitive examination.
Meanwhile, members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and other student organisations staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against the National Testing Agency (NTA) over paper leak concerns following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
The court has also sought the federal probe agency’s response to an interim bail request moved by a co-accused in the same case.
CBI Opposes Bail of Pune Counsellor, Aligns Her with Mastermind
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday informed a Delhi court that Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, an accused in the NEET paper leak case, allegedly distributed leaked question papers to candidates in exchange for money.
The submissions were made before Special Judge Ajay Gupta during the hearing of Waghmare’s bail application. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its order on the plea and is expected to deliver its decision on June 9.
Opposing the bail request, the CBI stated that Waghmare allegedly provided students with questions from the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology sections of the NEET examination. The central agency claimed that statements recorded from several students indicate that payments were made to gain access to the leaked papers, pointing to her active role in circulating the material before the exam.
Seeking relief for his client, Waghmare’s counsel argued that the 47-year-old is a certified education counsellor who has not engaged in any unlawful activity. The defence highlighted that investigators recovered no cash during searches, and no incriminating material was found on the two mobile phones seized from her.
The lawyer further sought her release on bail on medical grounds, informing the court that she suffers from health issues, including vertigo. Waghmare was arrested on May 14 and is currently in judicial custody.
According to the CBI, Waghmare, who also runs a beauty parlour in Pune, allegedly received the leaked question papers from the suspected mastermind, PV Kulkarni. The agency claims she later passed these papers to co-accused Dhananjay Lokhande and others connected to the case.
Investigators further alleged that Kulkarni conducted special coaching sessions for students at his Pune residence, and Waghmare assisted him in identifying and bringing students into the network. The CBI also claimed that Waghmare destroyed the leaked papers after the NEET examination concluded on May 3.
The agency has arrested 13 individuals so far in connection with the paper leak case, all of whom remain in judicial custody. Earlier this week, a Delhi court sent three other accused—an NTA-appointed physics translator, a paediatrician from Latur, and a physics tutor—to 14 days of judicial custody.
The controversy prompted the National Testing Agency (NTA) to cancel the NEET-UG examination held on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak. The re-examination is scheduled to take place on June 21.
