A Pune school principal arrested in the NEET-UG paper leak case allegedly shared examination-related questions with select students in exchange for money, the CBI told a court while seeking her remand.
Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, was arrested on Friday. The agency described her as another “source” in the alleged leak.
Havaldar had served as an empanelled Physics translator for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG)-2026.
According to sources, the CBI informed a Pune court that Havaldar, in collusion with botany teacher Manisha Mandhare, allegedly passed on NEET-related questions and content to a few students for monetary gains.
Mandhare, a botany lecturer at Modern College of Arts and Science in Pune, is already in custody.
The probe found that Havaldar allegedly prepared and retained handwritten notes containing NEET-related questions during her assignment with the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Investigators said the material was later used to share exam-related content with some students through WhatsApp messages and printed copies before the NEET UG-2026 examination.
Sources said Havaldar admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG-2026, which she had translated or reverse-translated with one student and Mandhare.
The CBI also told the court that Havaldar allegedly received Rs 20,000 from one student and Rs 25,000 from another person in connection with the leak, according to sources.
Investigators further alleged that Havaldar deleted chats with Mandhare and burnt notes containing the Physics question bank.
After her arrest, Havaldar was produced before a Pune court and is currently in transit remand. She is expected to be produced before a Delhi court on Monday.
On May 12, the NTA cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG examination for medical admissions following allegations of a paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
The CBI registered an FIR the same day based on a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Education Ministry.
So far, 11 accused have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar, a CBI spokesperson said on Friday.
“The investigation so far has brought out the actual source of the paper leak,” the agency said.
