The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which was held on May 3, after investigators discovered evidence that several questions similar to those in the medical entrance exam paper had been circulated before the test. The government has handed over the question paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and announced that a fresh examination date will be declared soon.
Impact on Aspirants and Historical Context
The cancellation affects nearly 23 lakh aspirants and marks the first time NEET-UG has been fully scrapped since the NTA took over its conduct in 2019. In 2024, the exam was partially re-conducted for a little over 1,563 students following discrepancies in marks.
Investigation and Leak Trail
Investigators of the testing agency, tracing the alleged leak trail, have linked it to a printing agency in Jaipur and coaching networks spread across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, and Kerala. The Nashik police have detained a suspect, and the CBI, after registering an FIR on a complaint from the education ministry, conducted raids at 12 locations across the country.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh stated, "The paper conducted on May 3 had four code versions. None of the papers was found in the market and no leak has been established. In a PDF that was circulated, there were many questions, and some of them appeared similar to questions from the exam paper."
He further added, "I would not say that the entire paper was leaked. But I will definitely say that even if a single question matches our question paper, then our commitment to zero tolerance and zero error is violated, and our entire process is compromised. We take responsibility for it and will take action accordingly."
Details of the Leak
The Times of India (TOI) had shared a copy of the handwritten PDF with the NTA. It is alleged that the leaked material was sold at rates ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40 lakh, depending on timing and access. The first whistleblower inputs reached the NTA on May 7 night, four days after the exam was conducted. The material allegedly contained questions matching those in the May 3 test paper. A verification exercise found that the PDF was present on a few mobile phones on May 1 and May 2, before the exam, according to the agency.
People aware of the probe said the paper is suspected to have been leaked from a printing agency in Jaipur. NTA investigators believe it first reached a coaching institute in Maharashtra's Nashik before being circulated across states. Following inputs from Rajasthan Police, the Nashik crime branch detained 30-year-old Shubham Khairnar, who investigators believe may hold key information on how the paper moved through the network.
Legal Action
In its FIR, the CBI has invoked sections of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), besides the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024.
Reactions and Protests
The cancellation has sparked protests by student groups and parents, with opposition political parties slamming the government, accusing it of "administrative failure and insensitivity toward students." The NTA conducts NEET at a cost of around Rs 200 crore, but the agency earns about Rs 300 crore from application fees of aspirants.
