PUNE: Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, principal of Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, was due to retire in about 40 days.
Vidya Prasarini Sabha (VPS), a century-old educational institution, on Friday said it had suspended Havaldar, who was working with one of its schools, following the action by the probing agency. The institution has also formed a five-member committee to investigate the matter.
Satish Gavali, secretary, VPS, said, “This is the first time in the past 102 years that our institute has been associated with such a case. Neither the government nor Havaldar informed us about any NTA or NEET-related matters, as these things are confidential.”
According to Gavali, Havaldar holds an MSc and BEd degree and joined the school in 1992 as an assistant teacher. She was promoted as principal in 2024 and was scheduled to retire on June 30, 2026.
“She was cooperative by nature and a highly talented teacher, and nobody would have imagined that she could be involved in such illegal activities,” school officials said, adding that the teacher used to take sanctioned leave regularly.
According to a teacher who requested anonymity, Havaldar lived with her husband and in-laws in Pune, while her son resides abroad.
On Friday morning, a team of CBI officials reached her residence and questioned her for several hours. Simultaneously, another team scrutinised documents, files, and computers at the college before seizing certain documents and computer hard disks for further investigation.
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