Delhi court rejects bail plea of NEET paper leak accused

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday rejected the bail application of Manisha Waghmare, one of the accused in the alleged NEET-UG paper leak case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).Waghmare was arrested on May 14 and was in judicial custody.The order was passed by the Rouse Avenue Court, which is hearing matters related to the high-profile examination leak case that triggered a nationwide controversy over the integrity of the medical entrance examination.In a related development, the court sought a response from the CBI on the interim bail plea filed by another accused, Yash Yadav.Yadav has requested 15 days of interim bail to appear for the upcoming NEET-UG examination scheduled on June 21 and to participate in his sister's wedding ceremonies.The court has directed the CBI to submit its reply and listed the matter for further hearing on June 12. The investigation into the alleged paper leak and related irregularities is currently underway.What is the NEET-UG paper leak case?The NEET-UG paper leak case came to light after allegations surfaced that the question paper had been leaked ahead of the medical entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 3.The exam, which is the country's largest medical entrance test, was taken by more than 22 lakh candidates seeking admission to undergraduate medical courses.On May 7, the NTA received information about alleged irregularities linked to the examination.According to sources, a PDF file containing questions believed to be from the NEET-UG paper was circulating, raising concerns about a possible leak. The agency subsequently alerted law enforcement authorities on May 8 to investigate the matter.As the controversy grew and evidence of malpractice emerged, the NTA took the unprecedented step of cancelling the examination.The case was later handed over to investigative agencies, leading to multiple arrests and a wider probe into an alleged network involved in leaking and distributing the examination paper before the test.