NEET UG 2026 Cancelled After Massive Paper Leak Row Sparks Nationwide Probe

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination after shocking allegations of a nationwide paper leak surfaced just days after the exam was conducted. The case, which started with a “guess paper” shared in Rajasthan’s Sikar, has now grown into a multi-state investigation involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The cancellation has left lakhs of medical aspirants across the country anxious and frustrated, while investigators continue to uncover how the leaked paper allegedly spread through different states before the exam.

How the Leak Was Accidentally Discovered

According to investigation sources, the controversy began late on May 2, only hours before the NEET exam scheduled for May 3.

An MBBS student from Rajasthan’s Sikar, who is currently studying in Kerala, reportedly received a PDF file from a friend. The file was described as a “guess paper” for NEET.

Since the student was already pursuing medicine, he did not need it himself. However, he forwarded the PDF to his father, who runs a hostel for coaching students in Sikar, thinking it could help NEET aspirants staying there.

At the time, neither of them suspected that the document could actually contain leaked exam questions.

The next morning, the hostel owner tried sharing the paper with a few students appearing for the exam, but they had already left for their exam centre. Later, out of curiosity, he also sent the paper to a chemistry teacher he knew.

What initially looked like an ordinary practice paper soon raised serious concerns.

After comparing it with the actual NEET question paper, the teacher reportedly found that dozens of chemistry questions matched exactly. When a biology teacher checked the biology section, the similarities became even more alarming.

Sources claim that around 135 questions in the PDF matched the original NEET paper.

Police Initially Ignored the Complaint

Shocked by the discovery, the hostel owner and the teacher approached the local police in Sikar. But instead of immediate action, they reportedly faced resistance.

According to sources, police officials questioned why the complaint was being filed after the examination and allegedly refused to register a case initially.

Unwilling to let the issue go unnoticed, the two men then emailed the National Testing Agency directly.

That email eventually triggered a larger investigation.

The NTA informed the Intelligence Bureau and later directed Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG) to probe the allegations. Investigators reportedly verified the sequence of events through phone records and WhatsApp chats.

Probe Expands Across Several States

As the investigation progressed, officials uncovered links extending far beyond Rajasthan.

One lead reportedly took investigators to Jamwaramgarh near Jaipur, where two brothers were allegedly involved in distributing the leaked paper in Sikar. During questioning, they reportedly revealed the name of another suspect based in Haryana.

Investigators believe the Haryana-based individual, said to be a first-year Ayurveda student, sold the leaked paper to NEET aspirants for huge sums of money in several states, including Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

The trail later led investigators to Maharashtra, where police reportedly recovered a physical copy of the leaked “guess paper” from a Nashik-based student identified as Shubham Khairnar.

Officials now suspect that the paper may have circulated much more widely than initially believed.

NTA Cancels NEET UG 2026

Amid mounting pressure and outrage from students and parents, the NTA on Tuesday officially cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination.

The agency announced that the exam will now be conducted again on revised dates, which will be notified separately.

Importantly, candidates will not need to submit fresh applications or pay any additional fees. Existing registrations will remain valid for the re-examination.

The case has now been handed over to the CBI, which is expected to investigate the full extent of the alleged paper leak network and identify those involved.

Meanwhile, authorities have kept the identities of the hostel owner, his son, and the teacher confidential for security reasons, as they were among the first people to raise concerns about the leak.

For millions of students who spent months preparing for NEET, the cancellation has come as a major emotional setback. But many are also hoping that a fresh examination will ensure fairness and restore trust in one of India’s most important entrance exams.

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