NCRA question paper leaked on WhatsApp a day before exam; case filed after 18 months
Synopsis
A question paper for an NCRA recruitment exam in Pune was allegedly shared on WhatsApp at 7:15 am the day before the test — but the case only reached police 18 months later, after a confidential tip to TIFR's vigilance team. The leaked and official papers matched identically, and an NCRA employee now faces charges under the Official Secrets Act.
Key Takeaways
NCRA employee Vivek Baban Hadwale (40) has been booked for allegedly leaking the Work Assistant exam paper via WhatsApp on 23 May 2025 — a day before the exam.
The examination was held on 24 May 2025 at the Savitribai Phule Pune University campus.
The leak was reported to TIFR's vigilance department via a confidential source in June 2026 , nearly 13 months after the exam.
TIFR vigilance officer Vaibhav Pandurang Sherkar confirmed the leaked paper was identical to the official one.
Case registered under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and Sections 316(2) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita .
Police are investigating the full extent of the leak and whether other individuals were involved.
A National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) employee has been booked in Pune for allegedly leaking a recruitment examination question paper via WhatsApp the day before the test — with the case coming to light nearly 18 months after the examination was held. The Chaturshringi Police registered the case following a formal complaint by a vigilance officer of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
How the Leak Came to Light
The written test for the post of Work Assistant was conducted on 24 May 2025 at the NCRA centre situated on the Savitribai Phule Pune University campus. The examination was administered without any immediate red flags, but information about a possible paper leak only surfaced when TIFR's vigilance department received a tip from a confidential source in June 2026 — approximately 13 months after the exam date.
Vaibhav Pandurang Sherkar (35), a vigilance officer at TIFR, met the confidential source on 31 July 2026. The source alleged that on 23 May 2025, at around 7:15 am — one full day before the scheduled examination — the complete question paper had been shared with him over WhatsApp from the mobile phone of NCRA employee Vivek Baban Hadwale (40).
Key Evidence Gathered
The confidential source provided a printed copy of the question paper alongside screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation. Sherkar also independently photographed the source's mobile screen, capturing images that clearly showed the pattern and content of the paper. In a subsequent interaction, the source reaffirmed that it was Hadwale who had sent the question paper.
Critically, TIFR's vigilance department compared the leaked paper with the original official paper and found the two to be identical. This verification formed the backbone of the formal complaint lodged with police.
Case Registered, Charges Framed
Acting on Sherkar's complaint, the Chaturshringi Police have registered a case against Vivek Baban Hadwale under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, as well as Sections 316(2) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Official Secrets Act provision covers unauthorised disclosure of government-related documents, making the charges significant.
Notably, this is the first arrest-level action in the matter despite the examination having been held over a year and a half ago. The delay between the exam date and the police complaint underscores the challenges associated with whistleblower-dependent investigations in government recruitment.
Investigation Ongoing
Police are currently investigating the full extent of the alleged leakage, including whether other individuals may have received or further circulated the paper. It remains unclear how many candidates may have had access to the leaked content ahead of the exam and whether the recruitment results have been placed under review pending the probe's outcome.
The NCRA operates under TIFR and is a premier radio astronomy research institute — making the integrity of its recruitment process a matter of institutional credibility. With the investigation open, further developments are expected as police pursue leads from the WhatsApp trail.
Point of View
Results, and selection cycle raises serious questions about NCRA and TIFR's internal audit mechanisms. The fact that action came only after a confidential source walked in suggests these institutions lacked proactive surveillance of their own recruitment pipelines. As competitive exam fraud increasingly migrates to encrypted messaging platforms, government research bodies — often seen as above the fray of exam malpractice — need dedicated digital monitoring protocols, not post-hoc whistleblower dependency.
NationPress
9 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NCRA question paper leak case in Pune?
An employee of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune, Vivek Baban Hadwale, has been booked for allegedly sharing the Work Assistant recruitment exam paper on WhatsApp the day before the exam on 24 May 2025. The case was registered by Chaturshringi Police after a TIFR vigilance officer filed a formal complaint in 2026.
How was the leaked question paper discovered?
TIFR's vigilance department received a tip from a confidential source in June 2026, over a year after the exam. The source provided printed copies and WhatsApp screenshots, and the leaked paper was found to be identical to the official exam paper upon comparison.
What charges has Vivek Hadwale been booked under?
Hadwale has been booked under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Sections 316(2) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relate to fraud and cheating in examinations.
Why did the case take 18 months to surface?
Information about the leak reportedly reached TIFR's vigilance department only in June 2026 — about 13 months after the exam — through a confidential source, not through internal monitoring. The formal complaint was filed after the vigilance officer met the source on 31 July 2026.
Is the investigation still ongoing?
Yes, the Chaturshringi Police are continuing to investigate the full extent of the leakage, including whether other individuals received or distributed the question paper ahead of the exam. It is not yet clear whether the recruitment results have been reviewed.
