A Delhi court sent Pune-based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to six days of CBI custody in the NEET paper leak case on Monday.
Special Judge Ajay Gupta allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) plea seeking six-day custodial interrogation of the accused.
During the proceedings, the agency said that Havaldar, who was working as a translator for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)- Undergraduate (UG), along with other accused, circulated the physics questions that had come for translation.
The CBI arrested Havaldar on May 22. She was then brought before the court on transit remand.
According to the CBI, Havaldar, employed with the Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune, was another key accused who was the source for the leak of NEET-UG 2026 physics questions.
The CBI had informed the Pune court on Sunday that its investigation into the case showed that Havaldar, in collusion with botany teacher Manisha Mandhare, now in custody, allegedly shared NEET-related questions and content with a few students in exchange for monetary benefits.
Sources said the CBI told the court that handwritten notes containing NEET-related questions were prepared and retained by Havaldar during her NTA (National Testing Agency) assignment.
The confidential material was allegedly used to convey examination-related content to some students before the NEET UG-2026 exam through WhatsApp and printouts.
Havaldar had admitted to sharing Physics questions from NEET UG-2026, which she had translated or reverse-translated, with one student and with Manisha Mandhare, a botany lecturer from Modern College of Arts and Science in Pune, the sources said.
The probe found that Havaldar allegedly received Rs 20,000 from one student and Rs 25,000 from another person, CBI told the court, according to the sources.
Havaldar allegedly deleted all her chats with Mandhare and burnt the notes containing the Physics question bank, they added.
On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG held on May 3 for medical admissions following allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
The CBI registered its case in the matter on the same day, based on a written complaint by the Department of Higher Education under the Education Ministry.