New Delhi, May 12: The NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 was cancelled on Tuesday amid allegations of paper leak with the CBI registering an FIR after the government asked it to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam for admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges, said fresh dates will be notified in the “next seven to 10 days”.
The cancellation triggered nationwide outrage among medical aspirants, with students raising questions on NTA’s competence and demanding that the exam be conducted by AIIMS-Delhi.
The Opposition also attacked the Centre, alleging administrative failure, insensitivity toward students and “repeated lapses” in the conduct of national-level competitive examinations. It too demanded an overhaul of the NTA.
The day also saw protests by activists of NSUI, SFI and other organisations at several places.
Though Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan did not respond to media queries on the cancellation, the NTA said this is a matter of concern for the children, for their parents, and for the entire ecosystem.
In the evening, the CBI registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and under the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024.
The agency dispatched multiple special teams to various locations and will also collect material from the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police.
The Rajasthan Police SOG had claimed that a “guess paper” for chemistry that was allegedly circulated among students ahead of the examination had approximately 410 questions and roughly 120 of these were in the question paper.
In Maharashtra’s Nashik, a man was detained in connection with the paper leak. Nashik Deputy Commissioner of Police Kirankumar Chauhan said a team of Rajasthan Police would arrive in the city to take his custody.
Earlier in the day, the NTA, in a statement on X, said the decision to cancel the exam was taken in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.
The examination was conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad with nearly 23 lakh candidates appearing nationwide with a turnout of 96.92 per cent.
The agency said the inputs received, taken together with findings shared by law enforcement agencies, established that the “present examination process could not be allowed to stand”.
Later, talking to reporters, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said, “Paper leaks must end with immediate effect. It is unfortunate that we are at this stage. This is a matter of concern for the children of our country, for their parents, and for the entire ecosystem.
“I understand that more than two lakh people were involved in the examination system. This is distressing for everyone involved. We take responsibility for what has happened; it was wrong. We are cancelling it and preparing to conduct it again with the assurance that such incidents will not be repeated…”
He said the new schedule for the re-examination would be announced within the “next seven to ten days”.
There was shock, frustration and anger among NEET aspirants, parents and coaching teachers across the country.
Several opposition leaders took to X questioning the functioning of the NTA and demanding accountability over the recurring controversies surrounding entrance tests.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targetted the government over the cancellation, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s so-called ‘amrit kaal’ has turned into a ‘vish kaal’ (poison-filled era) for the country.
He said the hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been “crushed by this corrupt BJP regime”.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “The NEET 2026 examination has been cancelled. The hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been crushed by this corrupt BJP regime. Some fathers took loans, some mothers sold their jewellery, lakhs of children stayed up all night studying, and in return, they got paper leaks, government negligence, and organised corruption in education.”
“This is not just a failure-it’s a crime against the future of the youth,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. (PTI)
