Pune School Principal Arrested in NEET-UG Paper Leak Case Was Due to Retire Next Month; Suspended by Institute with Immediate Effect

Pune, 23rd May 2026: The Pune-based school principal arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case was scheduled to retire next month after over three decades in the education sector, even as the management of her school on Friday announced her immediate suspension.

The accused, identified as Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, was arrested by the CBI for allegedly leaking Physics questions from the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper. Havaldar was due to retire on June 30, 2026 — barely 40 days after her arrest.

Following the CBI action, Vidya Prasarini Sabha, the trust that runs the school, announced Havaldar’s suspension with immediate effect and constituted a five-member internal inquiry committee to independently investigate the matter.

VPS secretary Satish Gavali said the institution had no prior knowledge of any NEET-related activity involving either the principal or the school. “This is the first such controversy associated with the institution in its 102-year history,” he said.

Gavali added that neither government authorities nor examination agencies had informed the school management about any confidential NEET or National Testing Agency (NTA)-related operations linked to the institution.

According to school authorities, Havaldar joined the institution in 1992 as an assistant teacher after completing her MSc and BEd qualifications. Over the years, she developed a reputation as a disciplined and academically strong educator before being promoted as principal in 2024 after serving the institution for more than three decades.

The CBI said Havaldar was appointed by the NTA as a subject expert for the examination process and allegedly had access to the Physics question papers. The agency claimed that she shared several questions with co-accused Manisha Mandhare, who was arrested earlier on May 16.

Investigators said the leaked questions matched those that appeared in the Physics section of various NEET-UG 2026 paper sets.

Officials said Havaldar was arrested after detailed interrogation as part of the agency’s ongoing probe into the alleged examination scam.

The CBI has conducted searches at multiple locations across the country and seized laptops, mobile phones, bank statements and other incriminating documents. Analysis of the seized material is currently underway.

The agency had registered the case on May 12 based on a complaint filed by the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education regarding the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper.

So far, 11 accused have been arrested from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar in connection with the case.

The CBI said its investigation has identified the alleged source of the leak and uncovered a network of middlemen who allegedly mobilised students by charging lakhs of rupees for “special coaching classes” where questions expected in the examination were allegedly shared.

Further investigation is underway, the agency said.