In connection with the NEET paper leak controversy, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General (DG) Abhishek Singh and NTA Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi appeared before a parliamentary committee on Thursday (May 21). According to sources, during the meeting the NTA chief defended the agency and claimed that no paper was leaked from the NTA system.
Committee asked questions to NTA
When the parliamentary committee directly asked the officials who was ultimately responsible for the leak, the NTA chief replied that they would be able to give a definite answer only after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation is completed.
What did the NTA chief say?
According to sources, officials told the committee that there was no “paper leak” in the NEET exam. The NTA chief admitted that some questions were definitely leaked during the examination, but it cannot be called a complete paper leak. During the meeting, the NTA DG briefed the committee about the progress of the investigation so far, the safety measures implemented and the recent reforms being made in the way the examination is conducted. Reports suggest that the committee was told that NTA is fully cooperating in the CBI investigation in the paper leak case. CBI is currently investigating the suspicious networks, technical means and methods that were used to gain unauthorized access to the question paper before the examination.
MPs raised questions
During the meeting, opposition MPs raised sharp questions and expressed their anger over the paper leak incident. The MPs urged officials to immediately identify and fix the shortcomings of the system, and called for major reforms in the functioning of the NTA. After the meeting, committee chairman Digvijay Singh said, “This meeting was constructive. All the MPs are very concerned about the issue of NEET paper leak. We have received valuable suggestions from all the members.”
The exam was canceled on 11 May; Re-examination is scheduled on June 21
NTA is an autonomous body which is responsible for conducting the NEET exam. The Director General of NTA was called before the committee to give information regarding the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy. NEET UG exam was held earlier this month on May 3; However, after the paper was leaked, the exam was canceled on May 11. Currently, CBI is investigating this matter. NEET UG re-examination is now scheduled to be held on June 21. The CBI, which is investigating the NEET case, has so far arrested nine accused from different states of the country (including Jaipur and Sikar in Rajasthan; Gurugram in Haryana; and Nashik, Pune and Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra).
