New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday remanded Pune-based Physics lecturer and translator Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to six days of CBI custody in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case.

Special Judge (CBI) Ajay Gupta of the Rouse Avenue Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) plea seeking custodial interrogation of the accused. The court has directed the agency to produce her again on May 30, while also allowing her to take her doctor-prescribed medications during custody.

The accusations and conspiracy

According to the CBI, Havaldar was employed with the Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune and empanelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a physics translator for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate (UG). The agency identifies her as a key accused and a primary source for the leak of the physics questions.

Senior Public Prosecutors Neetu Singh and V K Pathak, appearing for the CBI, alleged that Havaldar conspired with other individuals to unauthoritatively retain the NEET-UG examination paper and distribute the translated physics questions in exchange for money.

Investigating Officer Deputy SP Pawan Kumar Kaushik produced Havaldar in court following the expiry of a three-day transit remand, after her arrest in Pune on May 22. The CBI argued that her six-day custodial interrogation is absolutely necessary to unearth the larger conspiracy and identify other co-conspirators involved in the scam.

Defence opposes custody

Advocate Akhilesh Rexwal, representing Havaldar, strongly opposed the CBI's remand application. He argued that his client had been cooperating with the investigation since her arrest on May 22 and contended that there were no valid grounds for granting police custody. The defence requested the court to send her to judicial custody instead, which was subsequently turned down by the special court.


Agencies