CBI ने 2026 NEET‑UG पेपर लीक केस में भौतिकी प्रश्न लीक करने वाली Manisha Havaldar को गिरफ्तार किया

<p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Central Bureau of Investigation — India's premier investigative agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for probing major crimes and corruption (GS2: Polity)">CBI</span> on 22 May 2026 arrested <strong>Manisha Sanjay Havaldar</strong>, a teacher at Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, Pune, for allegedly leaking physics questions of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="NEET‑UG — National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate medical courses, a high‑stakes exam for aspiring MBBS students (GS3: Education)">NEET‑UG</span> 2026 examination.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>Havaldar, appointed as an expert by the <span class="key-term" data-definition="National Testing Agency — autonomous body under the Ministry of Education that conducts national‑level entrance exams like NEET (GS2: Polity)">NTA</span>, had full access to the physics question paper and shared select items with co‑accused <strong>Manisha Mandhare</strong> in April.</li> <li>The leaked questions matched the official physics paper released on 3 May 2026, confirming the breach.</li> <li>Earlier arrests include senior botany teacher <strong>Manisha Gurunath Mandhare</strong> (biology leak) and chemistry lecturer <strong>P.V. Kulkarni</strong> (chemistry leak).</li> <li>Searches across multiple states yielded laptops, bank statements, and mobile phones; forensic analysis is ongoing.</li> <li>The case was registered on 12 May 2026 after a written complaint from the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Department of Higher Education — wing of the Ministry of Education that oversees higher education policy and regulation (GS2: Polity)">Department of Higher Education</span>.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <ul> <li>Nearly <strong>23 lakh</strong> candidates appeared for NEET‑UG 2026, making the exam one of the largest single‑day assessments in India.</li> <li>Other accused arrested include Dhananjay Lokhande (Ahilyanagar), Shubham Khairnar (Nashik), Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dinesh Biwal (Jaipur), and Yash Yadav (Gurugram).</li> <li>The alleged <span class="key-term" data-definition="question paper leak — unauthorized disclosure of exam questions before the exam, undermining fairness and integrity (GS3: Education, GS4: Ethics)">question paper leak</span> involved coordinated sharing of subject‑wise papers to aspirants, compromising the exam’s credibility.</li> </ul> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>This case touches upon several UPSC themes: the role of investigative agencies in safeguarding public interest (GS2: Polity), the functioning of autonomous bodies like the <span class="key-term" data-definition="National Testing Agency — autonomous body under the Ministry of Education that conducts national‑level entrance exams like NEET (GS2: Polity)">NTA</span>, and the challenges of maintaining integrity in large‑scale examinations (GS3: Education). It also highlights inter‑departmental coordination between the Minis