CBI Arrests NTA-Appointed Physics Expert in NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak Case
New Delhi, May 23 (TNT): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, an NTA-appointed physics expert, for allegedly leaking the physics section of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper.
Havaldar, who served as headmistress and lecturer at Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune, Maharashtra, is the 11th person arrested in connection with the alleged nationwide paper leak racket being probed by federal investigators.
According to investigators, Havaldar was part of the official examination process as a subject expert vetted by the National Testing Agency, giving her access to confidential physics question papers.
The CBI alleged that during April 2026, she leaked a set of questions to co-accused Manisha Mandhare, a Pune-based botany teacher who was arrested earlier this month. Investigators said forensic examination confirmed that the leaked questions matched the final examination paper.
With Havaldar’s arrest, investigators claim to have identified alleged insider involvement across all three major science subjects in the examination.
The probe has so far linked Havaldar to physics, PV Kulkarni to chemistry, and Manisha Mandhare to botany and zoology.
Officials suspect the accused exploited regional translation assignments, including Marathi translations of examination papers, to bypass security protocols and allegedly pass on confidential content to educational middlemen, coaching centres and interstate exam rackets.
The CBI has seized mobile phones, laptops, digital devices and bank records from multiple locations as part of its investigation into the suspected money trail and wider conspiracy.
Following public outrage and protests over the alleged irregularities, the National Testing Agency cancelled the original May 3 examination. The Union Education Ministry has scheduled a fresh NEET-UG 2026 examination on June 21.
TNT TS
