The National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has scheduled the re-examination of NEET (UG) 2026 on Sunday, June 21, 2026 — more than six weeks after 22.79 lakh students sat for the original examination on May 3, only to have it cancelled following what investigators have described as a systematic, multi-state paper leak operation.
The NTA confirmed that no fresh registration will be required and no additional examination fee will be levied. Candidature details, examination centres, and registration information from the May 3 cycle will be carried forward to the re-conducted examination in full.
How the leak unfolded
Investigations revealed that a document containing approximately 410 questions had been circulating on WhatsApp groups between 15 days to a month before the exam, with officials noting that nearly 120 questions from the Chemistry section allegedly matched the actual paper exactly.
The matter came to light after a Sikar-based MBBS student studying at a medical college in Kerala allegedly shared a PDF of a “guess paper” with his father on May 2 — the day before the examination. The father, who runs a PG accommodation facility in Sikar, reportedly circulated the document further to a chemistry and a biology teacher, who identified the similarities with actual exam questions.
The CBI’s investigation found that the leaked question paper had allegedly reached Rajasthan through an accused identified as Yash Yadav, while students were allegedly charged between ₹2 lakh and ₹5 lakh for access to the paper. The investigation revealed that Vikas Biwal’s father, Dinesh Biwal, allegedly scanned a hard copy of the NEET-UG question paper and converted it into PDF files, which were then handwritten, scanned again, and circulated among students studying at coaching centres in Rajasthan’s Sikar district.
The alleged leak spread from Kerala and Rajasthan to Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states. Investigators said the chain began with a hard copy of the question paper procured in Pune and circulated through couriers, WhatsApp groups, and coaching networks. Around 15 to 16 people have been arrested or taken into custody in connection with the case, while nearly 45 have been detained or questioned. The Rajasthan SOG separately arrested two identified masterminds, Manish Yadav and Rakesh Mandavriya. Maharashtra authorities detained 45 individuals linked to the paper trail in Latur and Nashik.
The NTA’s response and CBI referral
The NTA stated that the decision to cancel was taken following inputs examined by it in coordination with central agencies and investigative findings shared by law enforcement agencies. It said it will extend full cooperation to the CBI and provide all materials, records, and assistance required for the investigation. The NTA had earlier maintained that the May 3 examination had been conducted with GPS-tracked paper transport vehicles, special watermark codes, AI-based CCTV surveillance, biometric verification, and 5G jammers at centres — all of which proved insufficient to prevent the breach.
Political fallout
Student organisations across the political spectrum erupted in protest. The Congress-backed NSUI and the Left-backed SFI held large-scale demonstrations in New Delhi, while the RSS-linked ABVP called for a time-bound investigation to restore trust. Protesters gathered outside Shastri Bhawan with placards criticising the government’s handling of the crisis. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan declined to respond to media questions on the controversy following the cancellation announcement.
A recurring crisis
This is not the first time NEET has been mired in controversy. In 2024, a grace marks controversy affecting 1,563 students led to a re-NEET conducted on June 23, 2024, following Supreme Court directions. The 2026 paper leak, however, is categorically different in scale — involving an alleged organised multi-state network, coaching centre complicity, and the full cancellation of an examination that 22.79 lakh aspirants had spent years preparing for.
With the re-examination now set for June 21, students will have approximately five weeks to prepare again under a cloud of uncertainty about the integrity of the process — and NTA faces the task of rebuilding institutional credibility before the country’s most consequential medical entrance examination is conducted for the second time in less than two months.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or legal guidance. Please refer to official NTA communications at [email protected] or 011-40759000 for examination-related queries.