NEET paper leak case: Biology lecturer Manisha Mandhare sent to 14-day CBI custody

A court in Delhi has sent biology lecturer Manisha Mandhare to 14 days of CBI custody in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.During the hearing, Mandhare’s lawyer opposed the custody request and argued that her arrest was illegal.

The lawyer told the court that she was arrested after sunset and brought to Delhi around 1 am.

The court, however, allowed the lawyer to meet Mandhare for 15 minutes daily during her custody period. The Central Bureau of Investigation told the Rouse Avenue Court that Mandhare was part of a larger conspiracy linked to the alleged leak of the medical entrance exam paper. According to the agency, Mandhare was an expert responsible for translating Botany and Zoology question papers and had access to confidential exam material.

The CBI alleged that she worked with accused PV Kulkarni and Manisha Waghmare and shared the question paper with another accused, Shubham Khairnar.

Mandhare was arrested on Saturday after being questioned by the agency at its headquarters. Officials said she was part of the National Testing Agency paper-setting process for NEET-UG 2026. The agency claimed she had complete access to Botany and Zoology papers during the examination process.

The CBI further alleged that Mandhare mobilised NEET aspirants in April 2026 through accused Manisha Waghmare and conducted special coaching classes at her residence in Pune. Investigators claimed that during these sessions, she dictated leaked questions and answers to selected students and charged lakhs of rupees as fees. According to the agency, many of the questions discussed during these classes later “tallied” with the actual NEET-UG question paper held on May 3.

Officials said the pattern was similar to the alleged role played by Kulkarni, a chemistry expert from Latur, who was arrested earlier in the investigation.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak. The exam had been conducted across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centres, with nearly 23 lakh candidates registered. According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on May 7, four days after the examination.