The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, citing concerns that the integrity of the process had been compromised amid mounting allegations of malpractice.
More than 22 lakh medical aspirants across the country are now set to appear for a fresh examination after the Government of India approved the decision and handed the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive probe.
“The present examination process could not be allowed to stand,” NTA said in its official statement, while assuring candidates that existing registrations will remain valid, fresh dates will be announced soon, and no additional examination fee will be charged.
While the agency did not explicitly use the term “paper leak” in its cancellation notice, the decision follows multiple reports of alleged malpractice from several states, with Maharashtra, Harayana and Rajasthan emerging as a major focus after the Special Operations Group (SOG) began probing a suspected leak. Reports claimed investigators recovered a handwritten “suggestion paper” in which around 120 questions allegedly matched the actual NEET paper, including nearly 90 Biology questions and around 30 Chemistry questions.
NTA stated that it first received inputs related to alleged irregularities on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination, and escalated the matter to central agencies the following day for independent verification and necessary action. Media reports have also indicated multiple detentions linked to the case.
Acknowledging the emotional and psychological toll on lakhs of students and families, NTA said it understood the hardship of forcing candidates to undergo the pressure of another national-level examination after months, and in many cases years, of preparation. However, the agency argued that allowing a potentially compromised examination to stand would have caused deeper and more lasting damage to public trust.
Importantly, NTA stressed that the integrity and hard work of the overwhelming majority of genuine aspirants remained unquestioned, a statement that comes amid widespread anxiety and anger among students across the country.
The cancellation has triggered intense reactions from education experts and institutions. Expert Group of Institutions Chairman Narendra Nayak said the decision had caused enormous inconvenience to genuine students and called for severe punishment not only for those directly involved in the leak but also for those who enabled it. Alvas Group of Institutions Chairman Mohan Alva said students, parents, and teachers who had honestly prepared were deeply disappointed, while educators warned that preparing students mentally for another attempt would itself be a major challenge.
NEET-UG paper leak sparks political clash between Opposition & Centre over exam integrity
New Delhi, 12 May: The NEET-UG paper leak has quickly escalated into a full-fledged political confrontation between the Opposition and the Centre, with both sides trading sharp accusations over accountability and systemic failure in India’s examination system.
The controversy erupted after the National Testing Agency, an autonomous body under the Centre, cancelled the NEET-UG exam held on May 3 following confirmed irregularities. The agency said it would announce a fresh date after inputs from central investigative agencies raised concerns over the integrity of the examination.
Opposition leaders have seized on the crisis, turning it into a wider political attack on the ruling establishment. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of presiding over a system where students’ futures were being compromised. He alleged large-scale negligence and corruption, linking the issue to broader failures under the BJP-led administration and invoking the Prime Minister’s exam outreach programmes in his criticism.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot intensified the attack, claiming that the matter reflected deep administrative lapses and an attempt to suppress information. He also said that earlier irregularities in recruitment examinations pointed to a recurring pattern of institutional failure.
The Opposition has also pointed to the fact that the alleged leak trail spans multiple BJP-ruled states, using it to strengthen its political narrative. The Centre, meanwhile, has maintained that the cancellation was a corrective step taken after technical and investigative inputs indicated compromise in the exam process.
Medical professionals have also entered the debate. The Federation of All India Medical Association has called for a time-bound probe and strict accountability, warning that repeated leaks are eroding trust in national entrance examinations.
Student organisations, including the ABVP, have demanded transparency and a swift investigation, stressing that any breach in exam integrity directly impacts lakhs of aspirants.
As investigations continue, the issue has become a political flashpoint, with the credibility of India’s examination system now at the centre of a broader contest between the government and Opposition.
(With inputs from agencies)