The CBI told the court that Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune, admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG 2026 – which she had translated or reverse-translated – with one student and with botany lecturer Manisha Mandhare. The probe found she allegedly received ₹20,000 from one student and ₹25,000 from another person. She allegedly deleted all her chats with Mandhare and burnt the notes containing the Physics question bank.
Havaldar was arrested on Friday (May 23) and was on transit remand; she was produced before the Delhi court today, Monday May 25.
What the “Guess Paper” Actually Contained
A significant new detail has emerged about the scale of the leak:
The Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in NEET UG 2026. The question paper series under scrutiny reportedly contained around 410 questions in total, out of which nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the actual examination.
Shubham Khairnar – Probe Widening
Follow TJP Whatsapp ChannelShubham Khairnar’s custodial interrogation was extended by five days on May 20 after the CBI stated he needed to be further examined to identify and apprehend other co-accused to whom he had sold the NEET-UG 2026 papers, and to identify locations where questions were revealed to certain candidates. The CBI may take him to Nashik and other parts of the country as part of the probe.
Complete List of All Accused Arrested Till 25 May 2026
1. Yash Yadav
- Role: Alleged primary paper supplier / distributor
- Arrested from: Gurugram, Haryana
- How he fits: Yash Yadav, a Haryana resident, is alleged to have supplied the leaked NEET question paper. Mangilal Khatik reportedly received the leaked paper from Yash Yadav on April 29 through Telegram.
2. Dinesh Biwal
- Role: Jaipur-based BJP worker; key link in Rajasthan chain
- Arrested from: Jaipur, Rajasthan
- How he fits: A key part of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak inquiry focuses on Jaipur-based BJP worker Dinesh Biwal and his relatives. The CBI and Rajasthan Special Operations Group are examining the family’s long association with alleged paper supplier Yash Yadav, and how several family members obtained medical college seats despite modest academic records.
3. Mangilal Khatik
- Role: Dinesh Biwal’s brother; received and printed the leaked paper
- Arrested from: Jaipur, Rajasthan
- How he fits: Mangilal received the leaked NEET question paper from Yash Yadav on April 29 through Telegram. Officials are checking digital traces to verify how many copies were then circulated. According to investigators, Mangilal printed the leaked paper and passed hard copies to his son Aman, Dinesh’s son Rishi, and their elder brother Ghanshyam’s daughter, Gunjan – all three of whom appeared for the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 3.
4. Vikas Biwal
- Role: Mangilal’s son; received a printed copy of the leaked paper
- Arrested from: Jaipur, Rajasthan
- How he fits: Part of the Biwal family network; one of the students who allegedly sat the exam after receiving the leaked paper from his father.
5. Dhananjay Lokhande
- Role: Middleman / distributor in Maharashtra
- Arrested from: Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Maharashtra
- How he fits: Along with Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Biwal, and Dinesh Biwal (from Jaipur), and Yash Yadav (from Gurugram), Dhananjay Lokhande was arrested from Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, and sent to judicial custody.
6. Shubham Khairnar
- Role: Paper seller / distributor in Maharashtra
- Arrested from: Nashik region, Maharashtra
- How he fits: The CBI told the court that Khairnar needed to be further examined to identify and apprehend other co-accused persons to whom he had sold the NEET-UG 2026 papers, and to recover digital devices and communication records connected to the paper leak network. His custodial interrogation was extended by five days on May 20.
7. Prof. P.V. Kulkarni
- Role: Retired Chemistry lecturer, Latur; NTA-linked insider — alleged Chemistry paper source
- Arrested from: Latur, Maharashtra
- How he fits: Three insiders connected to the education sector have been exposed. Apart from Havaldar and Mandhare, retired Chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni from Latur has been accused of leaking the Chemistry portion of the examination. He is believed to be one of the original sources of the leak at the NTA paper-setting level.
8. Manisha Waghmare
- Role: Beauty parlour owner from Pune; facilitated meetings between insiders and students
- Arrested from: Bibwewadi, Pune, Maharashtra
- How he fits: Manisha Mandhare allegedly guided students and shared answers during a meeting arranged at the residence of Bibwewadi-based beauty parlour owner Manisha Waghmare, who was also arrested in the case.
9. Manisha Gurunath Mandhare (Arrested: May 16, 2026)
- Role: Senior Botany teacher, Modern College of Arts & Science, Pune; NTA-appointed Biology expert — alleged Biology/Botany/Zoology paper source
- Arrested from: Delhi (after interrogation)
- How she fits: Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a Pune-based Botany professor, was appointed by the NTA as a subject expert and allegedly had complete access to the Botany and Zoology question pools linked to the NEET paper-setting process. She was arrested on May 16 and sent to 14 days of CBI custody.
10. Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar “M Sir” (Arrested: May 17, 2026)
- Role: Founder of RCC (Renukai Career Centre), Latur; coaching operator and key distributor
- Arrested from: Latur/Pune, Maharashtra
- How he fits: Motegaonkar was an “active member of the organised gang” behind the NEET UG 2026 paper leak. In collusion with other accused persons, Motegaonkar obtained the ‘guess paper’ and its answers on April 23 — around ten days prior to the exam. A court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue granted nine days’ custody of Motegaonkar to the CBI after he was produced before the court following his arrest in Pune.
11. Manisha Sanjay Havaldar (Arrested: May 23, 2026)
- Role: Principal/Headmistress, Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, Pune; NTA-appointed Physics translator/expert – alleged Physics paper source
- Arrested from: Pune, Maharashtra
- How she fits: Manisha Sanjay Havaldar is the headmistress of Sheth Hiralal Saraf Parshala in Pune, and was appointed by the NTA as a subject expert for NEET UG 2026, giving her direct access to confidential NEET UG 2026 examination material. Sources said Havaldar admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG-2026 with one student and with Manisha Mandhare. The probe found that Havaldar allegedly received ₹20,000 from one student and ₹25,000 from another person. Havaldar allegedly deleted all her chats with Mandhare and burnt the notes containing the Physics question bank.
States Covered in Arrests
| State | No. of Arrests |
|---|---|
| Maharashtra (Latur, Pune, Nashik, Ahilyanagar) | 7 |
| Rajasthan (Jaipur) | 3 |
| Haryana (Gurugram) | 1 |
Current Status of All 11 Accused (May 25, 2026)
| S.No | Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yash Yadav | Paper supplier, Gurugram | Produced in court today |
| 2 | Dinesh Biwal | BJP worker, Jaipur | Produced in court today |
| 3 | Mangilal Khatik | Biwal’s brother, Jaipur | Produced in court today |
| 4 | Vikas Biwal | Mangilal’s son, Jaipur | Produced in court today |
| 5 | Dhananjay Lokhande | Middleman, Ahilyanagar | Produced in court today |
| 6 | Shubham Khairnar | Paper seller, Nashik | Extended CBI custody |
| 7 | P.V. Kulkarni | Chemistry source, Latur | CBI custody |
| 8 | Manisha Waghmare | Beauty parlour owner, Pune | Judicial custody |
| 9 | Manisha Mandhare | Botany expert, Pune (arr. May 16) | CBI custody |
| 10 | Shivraj Motegaonkar | RCC Classes, Latur (arr. May 17) | 9-day CBI custody |
| 11 | Manisha Havaldar | Physics expert, Pune (arr. May 23) | Produced in Delhi court today |
What to Watch Next
More arrests are widely expected. The CBI is still actively tracing:
- Who sent the leaked paper to Motegaonkar on April 23
- How many students purchased the paper (suspected to be 1,000+)
- The full financial trail behind the network
- Other NTA insiders who may have had access to paper-setting material
