Teacher Arrested by CBI in NEET Paper Leak Was Associated With Pune’s Modern College for 24 Years

Pune, 16th May 2026: Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, the senior teacher arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, had been working with Modern College in Pune for the last 24 years and was associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the past five to six years, according to college authorities.

Mandhare was arrested in Delhi on Saturday after the CBI claimed she was one of the key accused behind the alleged leak of Biology questions in the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3.

Speaking to reporters, Modern College principal Nivedita Ekbote said the institution learnt about the arrest through media reports and had not yet received any formal communication from investigating agencies.

“I got to know about it only through the media that Manisha Mandhare, a teacher from Modern College, has been arrested in the NEET paper leak case. However, no authority has communicated this to us officially yet,” Ekbote said.

She said Mandhare had been serving as a senior teacher at the college for over two decades and had no complaints against her during her tenure.

“She has been working with Modern College for the last 24 years. For the last nine to 10 months since I was appointed principal, we had only routine professional communication and she completed all the work assigned to her. There were no complaints against her,” Ekbote said.

The principal further stated that Mandhare’s association with the NTA was governed directly by confidentiality norms between the agency and the teacher, and the college was not involved in the examination-related work.

“As per the information available to me, she had been associated with the NTA for the last five to six years. Under the confidentiality rules, communication was directly between the NTA and the teacher. The college was not aware about how papers were set or where such work was carried out,” she said.

Ekbote added that the institution would initiate appropriate action once it received official communication from authorities. “As soon as we are formally informed by the authorities, we will take necessary legal action as per the provisions applicable to junior colleges,” she said.

According to the CBI, Mandhare had access to Botany and Zoology question papers as she was appointed by the NTA as an expert for the NEET-UG 2026 examination process.

Investigators alleged that during April 2026, she contacted prospective NEET candidates through Pune-based Manisha Wagmare, who was arrested earlier, and conducted special coaching sessions at her Pune residence. During these sessions, she allegedly disclosed several Botany and Zoology questions which later matched the actual examination paper.

The agency has described Mandhare as one of the masterminds in the alleged paper leak conspiracy. Earlier, the CBI had also arrested retired Pune teacher P V Kulkarni, who too had links with the NTA and was claimed to be a key accused in the paper leak.

So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar. The CBI has also conducted searches at multiple locations and seized laptops, bank statements, mobile phones and other documents as part of the investigation.