The National Testing Agency (NTA)’s decision to scrap the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 has drawn mounting criticism from aspirants as well as the opposition, who accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led dispensation of “negligence” towards students’ future.
The medical entrance examination was cancelled after “guess papers” matching over 100 questions in Chemistry and Biology were allegedly circulated and sold for a massive amount. The entrance examination will be re-conducted, and the examination dates will be notified separately, the NTA has said.
Do students need to register again?
The NTA said that registration details, candidature information, and examination-centre preferences submitted for the May 2026 session would remain valid for the re-examination. Students will not be required to register again, and no extra examination fee will be charged. The agency also stated that fees already paid would be refunded, while the re-examination would be conducted using NTA’s internal resources.
Here’s what we know so far in the NEET ‘leak’ case
1. The government has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the paper ‘leak’ case.
2. The Nashik City Crime Branch has arrested a youth named Shubham Khairnar from Indira Nagar in connection with the case. He will soon be handed over to the Rajasthan Police, which will further transfer him to the CBI, Hindustan Times reported.
3. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has refused to entertain media queries on the NEET row. Pradhan declined to comment when reporters asked for his reaction to the controversy.
4. Several opposition leaders took to X to question the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and demand accountability over the repeated controversies linked to entrance examinations.
5. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students had been “crushed by this corrupt BJP regime”. In a post in Hindi on X, 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.
6 The examination was held across 551 cities in India and 14 international cities at more than 5,432 centres, with nearly 22.79 lakh candidates registered for the test. The paper consisted of 180 questions carrying a total of 720 marks.
7. The provisional answer key was issued on May 7, 2026.
