The cancellation of NEET UG 2026 has sparked widespread anger among aspirants across the country, with teachers questioning the credibility and effectiveness of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
On Tuesday, the NTA canceled the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak, while the government ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a detailed probe into the alleged irregularities.
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The NEET UG 2026 exam has been canceled by the NTA amid allegations of a paper leak where ‘estimates’ corresponding to more than 100 questions from Chemistry and Biology were allegedly circulated. The government has ordered the CBI to conduct a detailed investigation into these irregularities.
The NTA said that the re-examination schedule of the canceled NEET UG 2026 will be announced in the next seven to ten days. The agency aims to conduct the exam as soon as possible so as not to disrupt the academic calendar and admission to the medical school.
No, students do not need to re-register. The NTA has confirmed that registration details, candidature information and exam center preferences submitted for the May 2026 session will remain valid for re-examination. No extra examination fee will be charged.
The NTA CEO clarified that the entire question was never circulated on Telegram or any other platform. However, the incident breached the integrity of the examination and involved a limited set of questions that appeared in a circulating “estimate paper” and matched parts of the actual examination.
Overseas candidates are worried about whether the resit will be held at their centers and how the changes will affect their schedules, especially those who manage multiple entrance exam schedules in different countries. They also raised questions about the refund of fees paid.
Read also | NEET UG 2026 Leak? The 100+ questions were said to be riddles
Educationist Khan Sir told ANI, “This is nothing but playing with the lives of millions of students. Their confidence is shaken and the most unfortunate thing about this whole situation is that exactly two years ago, in 2024, exactly the same incidents took place. A CBI investigation was done but it yielded absolutely no results. The most amazing thing is that it was the students who were not exposed first. to alert the government about the situation…”
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Panic among students
Educators at Rajasthan’s Kota, a medical coaching hub, urged aspirants to remain focused on their preparation and avoid rumors surrounding the exam process. The cancellation of the annual test has left candidates facing frustration and anxiety, PTI reported.
For 17-year-old Nikhil Kumar from Delhi’s Chirag Dilli, the NTA’s decision meant the loss of what he thought would be a good score. “My expected score was around 540 which would give me a good chance. Now we will have to appear for the exam again and try to keep our preparation as good as possible,” Kumar told PTI.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday evening took into custody a man from Nashik in Maharashtra in connection with the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak case, PTI reported quoting an official.
Read also | NTA NEET 2026 cancelled: When was the exam canceled last time and what led to it?
Earlier in the day, the Nashik Police’s Crime Squad 2 arrested 30-year-old Shubham Khairnar, a resident of Nandgaon in Nashik district, on the request of the Rajasthan Police. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Kirankumar Chauhan, Khairnar was nabbed from Indiranagar area of Nashik city.
Several candidates also demanded that the entrance medical examination be conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Special Operations Group (SOG) IG Ajay Pal Lamba said, “More than 150 candidates along with their friends and guardians were interrogated. After interrogation, it came to light that the examination paper was circulated in Rajasthan before the commencement of the examination. One individual from Haryana was identified as the one who sent the paper. During interrogation, it was found that he got all this information from Natrashi in Maharashi. NTA, Government of India decided to cancel the examination NEET After this decision CBI has taken over the case CBI team is in touch with SOG and its members here have already been informed about all the interrogations and investigations conducted so far.
The whole question was never sent out on Telegram: NTA
Meanwhile, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh on Tuesday clarified that the entire question was never circulated on Telegram or any other platform, but the incident certainly compromised the integrity of the exam.
Talking to ANI during a Zoom call, Singh said that preliminary verification by the agency did not find any case of full question paper available on social media channels.
Read also | NEET UG 2026 cancelled: Police arrest suspected mastermind from Nashik
“No, the full document was never available on Telegram or any other channel as far as we verified the reports,” Singh said.
Explaining the nature of the alleged breach, the NTA Directorate General said the issue related to a limited set of questions that appeared in a circulating “estimate paper” and corresponded to parts of the actual examination.
When will the resit exam be held?
New dates have not yet been announced. However, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the schedule for the re-examination of the canceled NEET-UG 2026 would be announced in the “next seven to ten days”.
He also said that the agency aims to conduct the exam as soon as possible so as not to disrupt the academic calendar and admissions to medical schools.
Will students get the same exam centers?
The NTA said that examination centers selected in the May 2026 cycle will be converted to re-examination. However, the agency has not yet specified whether there could be any changes in the allocation of centers.
Radhakrishnan Panel Recommendations on NEET
After the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, the Center formed a high-level committee headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms in the functioning of the NTA and the conduct of entrance exams.
Key recommendations that were considered included minimizing the outsourcing of staff and test centres, conducting the maximum number of entrance exams online and adopting hybrid examination models where a full transition to computer-based testing may not be feasible.
The panel also suggested limiting the number of attempts in major entrance exams, including NEET, to streamline the process and reduce pressure on the system.
NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3 in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. The exam was organized by NTA for almost 23 thousand registered candidates.
