A Pune school principal has been arrested for allegedly leaking NEET-UG exam questions to students in exchange for money, sparking a CBI investigation into the nationwide paper leak scandal.
Key Points
- Pune school principal Manisha Havaldar arrested for alleged involvement in the NEET-UG paper leak.
- Havaldar allegedly shared NEET-related questions and content with students for monetary benefits.
- The CBI investigation revealed Havaldar colluded with a botany teacher to leak exam content.
- Handwritten notes containing NEET questions were allegedly used to convey exam content via WhatsApp and printouts.
- The NEET-UG exam was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak, with a re-examination scheduled.
A Pune school principal, arrested in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, allegedly shared examination-related questions and content with a few students for monetary benefits, the CBI has told a court here.
The federal agency made the submission while seeking the remand of school principal Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, sources said on Sunday.
The Central Bureau of Intelligence (CBI) arrested Havaldar on Friday, calling her another "source" of the alleged paper leak. Havaldar, the principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, worked as an empanelled translator for Physics for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG)-2026.
Following her arrest, she was produced before a court in Pune and is currently in transit remand. She is likely to be produced in a Delhi court on Monday.
NEET Paper Leak Investigation Unfolds
The CBI informed the Pune court that its investigation into the case showed that Havaldar, in collusion with botany teacher Manisha Mandhare, now in custody, allegedly shared NEET-related questions and content with a few students in exchange for monetary benefits.
Sources said the CBI told the court that handwritten notes containing NEET-related questions were prepared and retained by Havaldar during her NTA (National Testing Agency) assignment.
The confidential material was allegedly used to convey examination-related content to some students before the NEET UG-2026 exam through WhatsApp and printouts.
Havaldar admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG-2026, which she had translated or reverse-translated, with one student and with Manisha Mandhare, a botany lecturer from Modern College of Arts and Science in Pune, the sources said.
Financial Transactions and Evidence Destruction
The probe found that Havaldar allegedly received Rs 20,000 from one student and Rs 25,000 from another person, CBI told the court, according to the sources.
Havaldar allegedly deleted all her chats with Mandhare and burnt the notes containing the Physics question bank, they added.
NEET-UG Cancellation and Re-Examination
On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG held on May 5 for medical admissions following allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
The CBI registered its case in the matter on the same day, based on a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Education Ministry.
So far, 11 accused have been arrested in this case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune, Latur and Ahliyanagar, a CBI spokesperson said on Friday.
The investigation so far has brought out the actual source of the paper leak, the agency said.
