CBI Takes over Probe into NEET Paper Leak, Three Arrested in Rajasthan, One in Nashik
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 12: Lakhs of students, particularly those who felt to have done reasonably well in the National Entrance and Eligibility Test, Under Graduate (NEET-UG), 2026, examinations, for seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges, are feeling cheated and restless as the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday announced cancellation of the May 3 exams over alleged paper leak and ordered a fresh examination at a later date.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over probe on NEET UG 2026 paper leak to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities.” The Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) has arrested the alleged NEET paper leak masterminds Manish Yadav and Rakesh Mandavriya. The SOG also detained a family member of a NEET candidate over alleged involvement in NEET paper leak.
Over 22 lakh students appeared for NEET held on May 3. As per reports, the Rajasthan SOG found a handwritten suggestion paper whose 120 questions matched with the actual NEET paper. The investigators found around 90 Biology questions and 30 Chemistry questions matched with the actual NEET paper. The CBI is expected to question NTA officials also in connection with the paper leak.
Investigation into NEET-UG paper leak was also underway in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. According to Kiran Kumar Chavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nashik City, a request was received from the Rajasthan Police on Tuesday regarding an accused involved in the NEET case.
Acting on the request, the Crime Branch took the accused into custody and will hand him over to the Rajasthan Police upon their arrival. Mr Chavan said, “The accused had changed his appearance in an attempt to evade arrest, which initially created difficulties for the police. However, he was eventually tracked down and arrested using technical evidence and surveillance.” The accused is said to be from the Nashik’s Nandgaon village and has been pursuing BAMS. More details are awaited.
“On the basis of the inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with the central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies and in order to ensure that there is transparency in the system, 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 NTA said in a press release.
At the CII summit in New Delhi, the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan refuses to take any questions when confronted by the media on NEET cancellation.
The NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the matter has been handed over to the CBI and assured that strict action would be taken against those involved. “We have handed over the matter to the CBI. All accused will be nabbed and jailed so that the future of students is not adversely impacted. We will conduct a re exam for students and it will be done in a fair manner. We have also decided that no additional fee will be charged for the re exam, and the fee paid for the first exam will also be refunded,” Singh said.
Explaining how the alleged leak came to light, he said, “On the night of May 7, we received information through a whistle-blower that before the exams were conducted, an individual had received a WhatsApp message containing questions that matched the exact questions in the exam.”
“It was our responsibility to verify those allegations and determine whether those PDFs were available to anyone before May 3, the day of the exam. Upon verification, it was found that some questions matched our question paper. It was also found that on May 1 and 2…” he added.
NEET UG re-exam 2026 is likely to be held in June. In 2024, when NEET UG got cancelled, the re-exam was held on June 23. So, students can expect NEET re-exam to be held in June.
As per NTA, no fresh registration required for re-NEET. The registration data, candidature, and examination centres opted for in the May 2026 cycle will be carried forward to the re-conducted examination. No fresh registration will be required, and no additional examination fee will be levied. In addition, fees already paid, will be refunded to the students and the exam will be re-conducted using NTA’s internal resources, NTA in a post on X mentioned.
The NEET admit card will be issued fresh for re-exam. Further communications, including the re-conducted examination dates and the re-issued admit-card schedule, will be issued through the official channels of the Agency. Candidates and parents are requested to rely only on these official channels and to disregard unverified reports circulating on social media, read the NTA’s post on X.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government over the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s so-called ‘amrit kaal’ has turned into a ‘vish kaal’ (poison-filled era) for the country. Mr Gandhi said the hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been “crushed by this corrupt BJP regime.”
In a post X, Mr 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.
He said every time the paper leak mafia gets away scot-free, while honest students bear the punishment. “Now, lakhs of students will once again endure the same mental stress, financial burden, and uncertainty. If one’s destiny is determined not by hard work but by money and connections, then what meaning will education hold?” read Rahul Gandhi’s post.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal called the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam extremely unfortunate and deeply distressing. He further said it has put a serious question mark on the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
“The CBI must carry out a thorough, time-bound investigation, examining the role and functioning of the NTA as well as all other agencies involved, to ensure the full proof conduct of such critical national-level exams in the future,” Mr Badal said in a post on X. “To all sincere students: Your hard work and dreams matter. We stand firmly with you and will not allow this injustice to go unaddressed,” he further said.
Vinod Jakhar, National President of NSUI, which launched an agitation condemning the paper leak, said, “Students from every corner of the nation are out on the streets. NEET aspirants are out on the streets. Where is the government? Today, the future of those who prepared for the NEET examination with utmost diligence and integrity has been sold off. I demand that the government take the strictest possible action against the culprits and ensure that anyone involved in this conspiracy receives severe punishment.
“Certain individuals of the government and the administration are involved in this matter. The government, specifically, Dharmendra Pradhan, must accept accountability for this failure and should tender his resignation. Our primary demand is that the National Testing Agency (NTA) be banned. We demand that the investigation be conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court. This is because we have no faith in the government,” he said.
The cancellation of the examinations has caused distress among the candidates across the country. Students pointed out that this was the second such instance in three years. Varsha R., a candidate who had appeared for the NEET exam for the third time, expressed her complete disappointment. “How could the NTA be so careless? How can we trust them to conduct this exam correctly again? We sacrificed our college years, our youth, and many comforts to prepare for this exam and become doctors. We had just started to relax and regain a sense of normalcy; now, the stress and anxiety are back,” she said.
For 18-year-old Kevin, the past week had felt like the beginning of a long-awaited break. Having completed his Intermediate examinations in April and attempted all major competitive entrance tests, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) 2026 on May 3, he was spending his summer vacation at home in Hyderabad, unwinding after months of intense preparation.
On Tuesday afternoon, while playing games on his mobile phone, Kevin received a call from a friend. What he initially assumed would be a casual conversation about evening plans instead turned into shocking news. His friend informed him that the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which they had written just a week earlier, had been cancelled.
“My exam went really well. I had prepared seriously and thought I would clear the cut-off comfortably. I was finally enjoying my summer break before starting a new phase of life in college. Now I am completely blank about what to do. We do not know when the exam will happen again or how to mentally prepare for another attempt,” Kevin said.
