NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: Pune Lecturer Manisha Mandhare Sent To 14-Day CBI Custody

A Delhi court on Saturday sent Manisha Mandhare, a senior Botany lecturer from Maharashtra arrested in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, to 14 days of CBI custody.

Mandhare was produced before the court after being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the medical entrance exam leak probe. According to the agency, she was arrested in New Delhi and is accused of having access to confidential Botany and Zoology question papers through her association with the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET examination.

Court documents accessed by CNN-News 18 stated that the CBI sought 14 days of police custody, arguing that the case involved a larger conspiracy and that several

other accused persons were yet to be identified and questioned. The agency told the court that Mandhare’s custodial interrogation was necessary to recover incriminating material and uncover the wider network allegedly linked to the organised paper leak racket.

The court, after hearing arguments from both sides, allowed the CBI’s plea and remanded Mandhare to 14 days of custody. The order noted that the investigation was at a “very initial and crucial stage”.

According to investigators, Mandhare works at Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune’s Shivajinagar area and had allegedly been involved in the NEET paper-setting process for several years.

The CBI claims she played a role in preparing Botany and Zoology questions for the NEET-UG 2026 examination while continuing her teaching role at the Pune college. Officials suspect this gave her access to sensitive exam material before the test held on May 3.

Investigators further alleged that Mandhare worked with co-accused Manisha Wagmare to identify NEET aspirants interested in obtaining probable examination questions.

The agency alleged that selected students attended sessions at Mandhare’s residence in Pune, where important Biology questions were allegedly dictated and discussed. Students were reportedly asked to note the questions in notebooks and mark them in textbooks during preparation.

With Mandhare’s arrest, the total number of people arrested in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case has risen to nine, according to officials.