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NEET-UG 2026

NEET-UG 2026 Cancelled After Massive Paper Leak Row, Re-Exam on June 21

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NEET-UG 2026 Cancelled After Paper Leak Allegations; Students Face Fresh Uncertainty as Re-Exam Set for June 21

In a shocking development that has left more than 22 lakh medical aspirants anxious and frustrated, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination after allegations of a massive paper leak surfaced across multiple states.

The exam, which was conducted on May 3, is now under the scanner after investigators found evidence suggesting that several questions from the actual paper had allegedly circulated before the test. What began as rumours on social media has now turned into one of the biggest examination controversies in recent years.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe, and several arrests have already been made as agencies attempt to uncover the full extent of the alleged leak network.

Re-Exam to Be Held on June 21

After days of confusion and uncertainty among students and parents, the NTA announced that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21.

The agency clarified that candidates will not need to submit fresh applications or pay fees again, as all previous registrations will remain valid.

In its statement, the NTA admitted that cancelling the examination was a difficult decision, but said protecting the credibility of the national examination system was more important. Officials noted that allowing the results to stand despite serious doubts over fairness would have caused long-term damage to students’ trust in the system.

For many aspirants, however, the announcement has brought mixed emotions. While some students welcomed the cancellation in the interest of fairness, others expressed exhaustion after months of preparation and emotional stress.

Many students had already started planning counselling strategies and college preferences before the sudden cancellation changed everything overnight.

How the Alleged Leak Came to Light

According to investigators, the leaked material may have started circulating nearly 45 hours before the examination.

The controversy reportedly began late on May 2 when a student studying in Kerala allegedly sent a suspicious “guess paper” to his father in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The father, who runs a hostel for NEET aspirants, later informed authorities after noticing unusual similarities between the material and discussions among students.

Initially, many students dismissed the claims as another viral “guess paper” circulating before competitive exams. But things changed rapidly after the exam, when students and coaching institutes began matching questions and noticed striking similarities between the circulated material and the actual NEET paper.

As screenshots, PDFs and discussions spread online, pressure mounted on the NTA to respond.

Rajasthan SOG Investigation Leads to Multiple Arrests

The Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) launched an investigation on May 10 and claimed to have recovered a “guess paper” containing around 410 questions. Investigators believe nearly 120 of those questions matched the actual examination paper.

So far, at least 15 people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Among those arrested are Manish Yadav and Rakesh Mandwaria, who is suspected to have links with a consultancy centre in Rajasthan’s Sikar — a city known as a major coaching hub for medical and engineering aspirants.

In a separate but related investigation, the Nashik Crime Branch arrested Shubham Khairnar, a BAMS student allegedly connected to the network. After the CBI officially took over the case, all accused individuals were transferred to the central agency for further interrogation.

CBI Identifies PV Kulkarni as Alleged ‘Kingpin’

The investigation took a dramatic turn after the CBI arrested PV Kulkarni, a Chemistry teacher associated with the examination process on behalf of the NTA.

According to investigators, Kulkarni allegedly organised special coaching sessions at his residence in Pune during the last week of April. The agency claims students were gathered with the help of another accused, Manisha Waghmare, who was arrested earlier this week.

Officials allege that during these sessions, Kulkarni dictated questions, answer options and correct responses to selected students, asking them to write everything down manually in notebooks.

Investigators now claim many of those questions “exactly matched” the final NEET-UG 2026 paper.

First Full NEET Cancellation Since 2019

This marks the first time the NTA has cancelled the NEET-UG examination completely since taking over the exam in 2019.

While NEET has faced controversies in the past, including the 2024 re-test issue involving grace marks and result discrepancies, this is the biggest crisis the agency has faced so far.

The incident has once again sparked a nationwide debate over the security of competitive examinations in India and the immense pressure faced by students preparing for high-stakes entrance tests.

For lakhs of aspirants, the road to becoming a doctor has suddenly become longer and emotionally tougher. After months — and for many, years — of preparation, students now have to gather themselves once again and prepare for another exam day on June 21, hoping this time the process remains fair for everyone.

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