NTA chief denies NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, says only certain questions were out

 NTA chief denies NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, says only certain questions were out

The parliamentary panel, chaired by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, convened Thursday's meeting primarily to review two issues — the progress of the probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, and the status of implementation of the K Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendations on NTA reform. 

NTA informed the panel that while malpractices and irregularities were detected, these did not amount to a complete paper leak.

The NTA officials told the Parliamentary Standing Committee that the NEET UG 2026 examination paper was not leaked in full and only certain questions from the paper had surfaced before the exam.  

The National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education that “no paper leak took place, only certain questions came out” in connection with the recent NEET-UG controversy, according to top sources. The remarks came during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

NTA was summoned by the committee amid the controversy surrounding NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3, 2026, and later cancelled following allegations that some questions circulating before the exam matched portions of the actual paper.  

Higher education secretary Vineet Joshi and National Testing Agency (NTA) Chairperson  Abhishek Singh deposed in front of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. 

Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking at a press conference on May 15, acknowledged a "breach in the chain of command" and said the government was taking responsibility for the NEET paper leak controversy.

NTA Chief Abhishek Singh and Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi informed the committee that several recommendations had already been implemented, while work on others was still underway to make the NEET exam leakproof. Sources said NTA told the committee that cancellation decisions were taken because the agency follows a zero-tolerance approach towards irregularities, arguing that even limited compromise of questions can undermine confidence in the examination process.

Officials reportedly reiterated that “no paper leak happened”, while accepting that instances of malpractice prompted the cancellation on May 12.  

The CBI investigation into the NEET-UG controversy led to multiple arrests across states, with action taken against alleged intermediaries, teachers, examination centre staff and individuals accused of facilitating irregularities.

RE-NEET ON JUNE 21

The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be held on June 21, 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced after cancelling the original exam conducted on May 3. Candidates will not need to register again or pay any additional fee for the re-exam, as existing registrations will remain valid.  

“When the future of 22 lakh students is on the line, we want to ask them why and how did this happen, and what could have been done to stop it,” Digvijaya Singh told reporters ahead of the meeting.