Does This Image Show Dharmendra Pradhan Posing With NEET Paper Leak-Accused? No!

Several social media users demanded Pradhan's resignation, claiming a connection between him and the accused woman.

Fact-Check | The person posing with Dharmendra Pradhan in the viral photo is not NEET-accused Manisha Mandhare.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image is being circulated with the claim that it shows Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posing for a photo with Manisha Mandhare, a botany professor who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 16 May for allegedly leaking biology questions ahead of the 2026 NEET UG examination.

What did the post say?: A post by X (formerly Twitter) user 'Priyamwada', who claims to be a member of the Congress, states, "Prof Manisha Mandhare from Modern College Pune, who was involved in leak of the Biology paper for NEET 2026. She is seen with Education Minister. If CBI has arrested the Professor for investigation, why is the education minister not arrested?."

A post by X user Priyamwada claiming that the woman posing with Dharmendra Pradhan in the picture is NEET paper leak-accused Manisha Mandhare.

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

You can view other archives of similar claims shared on social media here, here, and here.

What are the facts?: The claim is false. The woman posing in the picture with Pradhan is not NEET paper leak-accused Mandhare.

How did we find out the truth?: A reverse image search via Google Lens led us to the X account of the woman in the picture who was identified as Nivedita Ekbote, principal of the Shivajinagar Campus (Arts, Science & Commerce) of Pune's Modern College.

• In her account, we found the same picture with Pradhan that she had posted on 18 December 2024.

• "It was amazing and lovely meeting with Hon’ble Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pardhan ji at @punebookfestival along with my parents .. His vast experience in the field of education and administration will constantly inspires us," the caption of the post read.

• Furthermore, Ekbote took to X on 18 May 2026 stating that the viral picture was being circulating to "misrepresent" her identity.

• "The person operating this account/post is falsely using my photograph with Union Minister @dpradhanbjp to misrepresent my identity. The photo was taken at a public event with several dignitaries. Misuse of such images to spread fake narratives is condemnable. Pls do not circulate such misleading content," she stated in the post.

• The person she tagged in the post has either deleted their account or their account has been taken down by X.

Account of user mentioned by Ekbote no longer exists. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

• Further, when we searched for 'Manisha Mandhare' on Google, we found several news reports with her actual picture.

An India Today report showing the actual picture of Manisha Mandhare. 

(Source: India Today/Screenshot) 

Conclusion: The person posing with Dharmendra Pradhan in the viral photo is not NEET-accused Manisha Mandhare.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)