Paper leakage in J&K also under investigation
Excelsior Correspondent/ PTI
NEW DELHI/JAMMU, 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”.
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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”.
Investigators believed that the NEET-UG paper might have been leaked directly from the printing press in Nashik.
“A person associated with the printing press is likely to have passed the paper into a `chain network’ through which it reached a doctor in Gurugram, Haryana. A man named Khatik from Jaipur’s Jamwa Ramgarh then allegedly purchased the paper from the doctor,” sources said, adding the CBI has already detained the person linked to the Nashik printing press.
From Jamwa Ramgarh, the paper allegedly reached a person named Rakesh Kumar Mandawaria in Sikar. Rakesh works as an MBBS counselling agent outside major coaching institutes in Sikar.
Sources said that the NEET paper got distributed through a one-to-one network across the country, reaching coaching centres in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
When approached for comments on whether the paper was leaked in Jammu, SSP Jammu Joginder Singh said they haven’t been approached by the investigating agency so far.
“We have no information on paper leakage,” Singh told the Excelsior.
In a statement on X, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said the decision to cancel the exam was taken in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.
“On the basis of inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately,” the agency said.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was held on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. The examination was organised by the NTA for nearly 23 lakh registered candidates at centres across the country.
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.”
“The re-conducted examination dates, along with the re-issued admit-card schedule, will be communicated through the official channels of the Agency in the coming days,” it added.
The NTA further said the Government has decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations linked to the examination.
“NTA will extend full cooperation to the Bureau and will provide all materials, records, and assistance the inquiry requires,” it added.
“This decision has been taken in the interest of students and in recognition of the trust on which the national examination system rests,” NTA said.
The agency acknowledged that the re-conduct of the examination would cause “real and significant inconvenience” to candidates and their families, but said the decision was necessary to prevent “greater and more lasting damage” to trust in the examination system.
According to the NTA, the registration data, candidature and examination centres opted for in the May 2026 cycle will be carried forward for the re-conducted examination.
“No fresh registration will be required, and no additional examination fee will be levied,” the statement said, adding that fees already paid by students will be refunded and the examination will be re-conducted using the NTA’s internal resources.
The agency said fresh examination dates and the revised admit-card schedule will be communicated through official channels in the coming days and advised candidates and parents to rely only on verified information released by the agency.
In a post on X on Sunday, the NTA had said question papers were transported in GPS-tracked vehicles carrying unique, traceable watermark identifiers, while examination centres were monitored through AI-assisted CCTV surveillance from a central control room.
“The National Testing Agency is aware of reports concerning the action initiated by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group in connection with alleged irregularities around NEET (UG) 2026. The examination on May 3, 2026 was conducted as scheduled and under a full security protocol,” the NTA had said.
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