NTA Cancels NEET UG 2026 Over Paper Leak Allegations, CBI Probe Ordered
- By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
- May 12, 2026
- 242
The National Testing Agency has cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3 following serious allegations of a nationwide question paper leak.
The Centre has ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged malpractice. The NTA announced that fresh examination dates will be declared soon.
Around 22.79 lakh students had appeared for the medical entrance examination across the country.
According to the NTA, candidates affected by the cancellation will not need to register again for the re-examination. Their previously allotted examination centres will remain unchanged, while fresh admit cards will be issued. The agency also stated that examination fees paid by students would be refunded.
Investigators suspect that the question paper reached a cheating syndicate even before printing. Sources claimed the leaked material included all 90 Biology questions and 35 Chemistry questions that later appeared in the examination.
The alleged leak has reportedly been traced to Jaipur.
On Monday, the Rajasthan Special Operations Group arrested a man identified as Manish from Jaipur, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the leak operation. Officials suspect the network spread across multiple states.
According to investigators, the accused prepared a “question bank” by mixing leaked questions with additional material before distributing it to students. The Special Operations Group is now attempting to identify and arrest all members of the racket.
Authorities said 90 out of 90 Biology questions and 35 out of 45 Chemistry questions from the distributed material matched the actual NEET paper exactly.
The agency has also questioned several students who allegedly paid money to access the leaked questions. Some students reportedly admitted to financial transactions linked to the racket, and officials are now tracing the complete money trail.
The NTA said preliminary findings related to the case were handed over to central agencies on May 8 itself to ensure fairness and security in the examination process.
Based on inputs received from investigating agencies, authorities decided to cancel the examination and conduct it again to maintain transparency.
Handwritten Question Papers Found In Rajasthan
The NEET UG 2026 examination was conducted nationwide on May 3. During the investigation, several students in Rajasthan were allegedly found carrying handwritten question papers that closely matched the actual examination paper.
On May 10, the Rajasthan SOG detained 15 suspects from Dehradun, Sikar and Jhunjhunu based on intelligence inputs.
Investigators revealed that nearly 600 out of 720 questions had reportedly reached some students in Sikar two days before the examination.
Officials claimed an MBBS student from a medical college in Kerala allegedly shared the material with a contact in Sikar on May 1.
The leaked “question bank” reportedly contained more than 300 handwritten Physics, Chemistry and Biology questions. Investigators found that nearly 150 questions were identical to those asked in the final NEET UG 2026 paper.
Experts said while a few matching questions are common in competitive examinations, such a large overlap is considered highly unusual.
NEET Paper Leak Row Revives 2024 Controversy
The latest controversy has revived memories of the NEET UG 2024 paper leak case.
The 2024 examination, held on May 5, also faced allegations of a paper leak. Although the NTA initially denied any irregularities, subsequent investigations in Patna and Hazaribagh reportedly uncovered evidence of malpractice, leading to several arrests.
However, the Supreme Court of India refused to cancel the entire examination at that time, ordering a retest only for 1,539 candidates at selected centres.
The 2024 controversy had also intensified after 67 students reportedly secured full marks of 720 out of 720, with several toppers emerging from the same examination centre.