NEET-UG 2026 Cancelled After Alleged Paper Leak, Centre Hands Over Probe to CBI

In a major development affecting medical aspirants across the country, the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 has been scrapped following serious allegations of a question paper leak. The Central government has now ordered a CBI investigation into the matter, while the National Testing Agency (NTA) confirmed that a fresh examination will be conducted soon.

The decision comes after multiple reports suggested that confidential exam questions may have been circulated before the test. NEET-UG is India’s largest medical entrance examination and this year nearly 22 lakh candidates appeared for admission to undergraduate medical courses.

According to officials, information gathered during investigations indicated possible compromise of the examination process, prompting authorities to cancel the test entirely. The NTA stated that maintaining fairness and transparency was the top priority and therefore the current exam could not be treated as valid.

The controversy intensified after Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) uncovered evidence linked to a suspected leak racket. During the investigation, officials reportedly found handwritten question sets that closely resembled a significant portion of the actual NEET-UG paper circulated shortly before the exam date.

Investigators believe that nearly 140 questions matched the final examination paper, accounting for a large share of the total marks. The material was allegedly distributed as part of a so-called “guess paper” among selected students days ahead of the exam.

Earlier, the NTA had acknowledged receiving alerts regarding possible irregularities and claimed that it had informed law enforcement agencies soon after the examination. However, with the probe gaining momentum and evidence surfacing publicly, the agency finally announced the cancellation on Tuesday.

The move has triggered anxiety and frustration among lakhs of students and parents, many of whom had spent months preparing for the highly competitive examination. Candidates are now awaiting fresh dates for the re-test, which the NTA says will be announced shortly.

Education experts say the incident has once again raised serious concerns over the security and credibility of national-level entrance examinations in India. The upcoming CBI probe is expected to investigate the alleged leak network, identify those involved and determine whether organised malpractice took place.