2 min readNew DelhiMay 17, 2026 02:13 PM IST
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged before a Delhi court that an expert on the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) question-setting panel for NEET-UG 2026 leaked final question papers to selected candidates in exchange for “substantial monetary gains”.
The accused, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested on Saturday from a reputed college in Pune and has been sent to police custody for 14 days.
Seeking her custody, the agency told the court that Mandhare was one of the “masterminds” behind the leak of Biology questions in the medical entrance exam. As an NTA-appointed expert, she allegedly had complete access to both the Botany and Zoology question papers.
The CBI further alleged that Mandhare conspired with other co-accused, including Manisha Waghmare and Prahlad Vittal Rao Kulkarni.
“She provided examination-related questions/content to selected students in consideration of substantial monetary benefits. She is one of the experts on the panel of NTA and involved in the process of setting the question papers during which she has gained access to the final question sets of NEET UG 2026, which she subsequently leaked to the students for monetary gain,” the CBI said.
“In April 2026, she had mobilised prospective NEET examination candidates through the arrested Manisha Waghmare of Pune and conducted special coaching classes for these students at her Pune residence,” a CBI spokesperson said.
According to the probe agency, Mandhare used her insider access to the final question sets during the paper-setting process to provide exam-related questions and content to the selected students in exchange for financial kickbacks.
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Mandhare’s arrest came a day after the CBI arrested Kulkarni from Pune, identifying him as the source of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leaks.
The NEET-UG 2026 exam was cancelled following an alleged paper leak, with a retest now scheduled for June 21.
