On Tuesday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) canceled the NEET-UG 2026 exam – which was originally scheduled to be held on May 3 – following allegations of paper leak, and announced that the exam will be re-conducted. Commenting on the decision, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General (DG) Abhishek Singh acknowledged that the move was extremely difficult and regrettable for students, parents and the NTA, but the sanctity of the examination cannot be compromised under any circumstances.
Abhishek Singh told *Today’s Times* that late on the night of May 7, the agency received several WhatsApp messages containing questions that appeared to be from the real NEET exam paper. These WhatsApp messages were immediately sent to law enforcement agencies for investigation. He reported that no complaints were received regarding any irregularities on the day of the examination, and the examination was conducted peacefully; However, considering the seriousness of the allegations of paper leak, NTA has started investigation.
The NTA Director General said that on May 8 and 9, the agencies investigated these WhatsApp messages, and on May 10 and 11, information emerged that confirmed that some of the allegations were indeed true. As a result, NTA decided that if there is even the slightest doubt about the fairness of the examination process, the most appropriate step would be to cancel the examination. The NTA chief further said that at this stage it would be too early to decide the extent of the paper leak or how many people the question paper had reached. He further announced that the investigation into the case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Now only CBI will decide whether the scope of this case was limited to only one state or spread to many states.
Responding to a question about a printing press being exposed in Nashik in connection with the case, Abhishek Singh said he did not want to jump to any conclusions before the investigation was completed. He assured that CBI will investigate all records, evidence and allegations to identify those responsible. He also emphasized that NTA had kept a constant vigil before the examinations and had also investigated many complaints received during them. The agency had also blocked 120 Telegram channels. Students were requested to immediately report any information regarding possible irregularities.
