New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): The Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday allowed Yash Yadav to appear in the NEET UG exam in the judicial custody scheduled exam on June 21. He is also permitted to attend his sister's wedding on June 22 while in judicial custody.
He has been arrested in the NEET UG Paper leak case and is in judicial custody. He sought 15 days' interim bail to appear in the NEET UG Exam and to attend his sister's wedding.
Vacation Judge Vishal Gogne allowed the application, directing the jail authorities to take Yash Yadav for the NEET Examination in custody on June 21. Jail authorities are further directed to take him to the marriage venue at Farrukhnagar, Gurugram, on June 22.
The court directed the Jail superintendent to allow Yash Yadav to download the admit card under the supervision of the jail authorities as the details of the exam centre will appear on the admit card on June 17.
"It is observed that while the applicant does face grave allegations of wrongful dissemination and trading of the confidential questions of the very examination in which he now seeks to appear, his rights as a student cannot be defeated by turning bail into punishment by denial of the opportunity to appear in the examination," vacation judge Vishal Gogne said.
The court further said that when the eligibility, candidature and selection of any student in an examination are subject to appropriate orders from the competent authorities/exam conducting body.
"In this view, the court finds the applicant to be entitled to appear for the examination on 21.06.2026," the court said.
While allowing Yash Yadav to attend his sister's marriage, the court said that similarly, it is only expected for the brother to be performing certain customary functions during the marriage ceremony of his sister. There is no particular reason for the court to prevent the Applicant from participating in his own family obligations.
"Yet, considering the initial stage of the investigation, the wide sweep of the material and evidence sought to be collected and the prospect of other suspects being still investigated, the court is not inclined to grant interim bail to facilitate such participation," Vacation Judge said in the order.
The court said that since the counsel for the applicant has prayed in the alternative that the applicant may be permitted to take the examination in custody and attend the marriage ceremony, the court is inclined to take a favourable view of the said prayer. Such a modality would protect the rights of the applicant and also safeguard the interests of the investigation.
The court directed the Superintendent of Central Jail to produce applicant Yash Yadav in judicial custody and with appropriate security at 12:00 am at the examination centre at Gurugram, Haryana, as reflected in his Admit Card, in order that he may take the said examination from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The applicant shall thereafter be immediately committed back to judicial custody.
Advocate Ambika Yadav, Kapil Yadav and Neha Yadav appeared for Yash Yadav and submitted that since the right to education is a fundamental right, the circumstance of the applicant being an accused in the present allegations cannot act to his detriment in pursuing the said examination process. Also, the presence of the brother is a customary requirement in the marriage ceremony of the sister.
On the other hand, senior public prosecutor VK Pathak appeared for the CBI and opposed the application, saying that the applicant was one among a multitude of conspirators and active participants in the unlawful accessing and subsequent sale of the confidential examination questions for the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 3.
Further, the electronic evidence and financial transactions discovered and probed by the CBI have revealed that the applicant was not only a beneficiary of premature access to confidential questions but was in fact engaged in the dissemination and sale of the said questions, the CBI said, adding that there is a real likelihood of the applicant evading the investigation and absconding if admitted to interim bail. (ANI)
