On 12^th May 2026, shocking news came up about the NEET 2026 exam cancellation by NTA, which was conducted on 3^rd May 2026. We are all very well aware of the importance of the NEET UG exam, which directly contributes to the healthcare sector of India. This particular exam is conducted every year, and lakhs of students appear with all their dedication and efforts. National Testing Agency (NTA) has been conducting this exam for many years but in recent years have shown incompetence and a lack of responsibility towards organising an exam. Over the past 3 years, many irregularities have been faced by the students, in 2024 the allegations of paper leak emerged from Patna, where candidates reportedly paid 30 lakhs to 50 lakhs to get access to the question paper. In Godhra, the teacher was accused of helping students to fill out the OMR for free and in Sawai Madhopur, “incorrect distribution” of the question paper was witnessed at the centre. And now comes up 2026, where the question paper was leaked in the form of a “guess paper” which consisted of questions that matched nearly 600 marks, and this led to the cancellation of the exam eventually. This cancellation directly affects 22 lakhs students who have given all their blood and sweat to this exam. We have already been witnessing suicide cases of NEET aspirants, which reflect what this exam actually means to them.

What’s the news?

The fact of the latest episode is that around 410 questions were passed on to the students, which consist of the same questions of NEET 2026, which sum up around 600 marks. It was reported that the “guess paper” was circulated on WhatsApp as early as 42 hours before the examination and it contained, according to the Rajasthan Special Operations Group, nearly 120 questions that bore striking similarities to the actual Biology and Chemistry sections of the paper. Nine arrests have been made across five states. A physical copy of the paper was allegedly leaked from a printing press in Nashik. A coaching-linked counsellor in Sikar has been taken into custody. The geography of the scandal, stretching from Rajasthan to Maharashtra to Uttarakhand, is itself an argument against the theory of isolated malpractice.

Claims by NTA or fake promises?

In 2024, the NEET exam was leaked on a very large scale and there was clear evidence of the same. At that time, NTA claimed to put in place stronger reforms. After 2024, NTA introduced multi-stage biometric verification, AI-assisted CCTV surveillance, GPS tracking of question papers, and 5G signal jammers at examination centres. More than 65 Telegram channels were blocked for circulating fake papers. The Radhakrishnan committee submitted wide-ranging recommendations to the Education Ministry, including a transition to online examinations and the reduction of dependence on contractual personnel and third-party service providers. And now the question of the matter is WAS THIS ALL NOT SUFFICIENT? The question that demands an answer is not merely why security failed again, but why the same failure keeps recurring despite repeated pledges of reform.

The Architecture of Failure

The NTA, established in 2017 to professionalise examination delivery, currently relies heavily on contractual staff to manage one of the highest-stakes tests in the country. After 2024, the Radhakrishnan committee was formed to prepare a report on the allegations put on NTA and that report highlighted that NTA is dangerously dependent on third-party vendors like contractual staff, which means that much of the sensitive work, including question processing, translation, and exam centre management, is handled by contractual personnel rather than permanent, accountable government officials. And also, many exams are conducted in private computer labs and schools that lack standardized security protocols, leading to non-functional CCTV cameras and “managed” cheating. When an institution managing the academic futures of 23 lakh students annually has neither a permanently staffed security apparatus nor an independent audit mechanism, it is not a question of whether a breach will occur, but when. The rot, in other words, is architectural.

The human cost behind the headlines

Every year, lakhs of students appear for NEET UG with a dream of becoming a doctor and contributing to the healthcare sector but these discrepancies shatter the dreams of younger minds. A NEET aspirant generally takes 2-3 years for preparation and even in some cases it goes to 5 years, relocate to different cities like Kota, Jaipur, Hyderabad for coaching, shift their life around this exam, and even suffer financially. And now the announcement of NEET cancellation and re-examination has given mental trauma to the students who have already given exams and were scoring well. And now the students have to pay the cost due to this administration’s fault. This injustice falls disproportionately on first-generation learners, students from rural backgrounds, and those without the financial cushion to absorb delays is a dimension of the scandal that rarely receives adequate attention.

What Reform Must Actually Look Like

What India requires now is not another inquiry, but action on the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel. The NTA must shift from being an administrative coordinator to a technology-first research body. There should be a reduction in reliance on private outsourcing and the main goal is to man the NTA with internal experts in psychometrics and cybersecurity rather than temporary contractual staff.

The transition to online examinations, which is technically feasible and operationally superior in limiting the physical handling of question papers and must be implemented without further delay.

There should be rigorous implementation of the Public Examinations Act, 2024, which mandates up to 10 years imprisonment and 1 crore rupees fine for organised paper leak syndicates.

The dependence on private printing infrastructure, which has now featured in multiple leak investigations, must end. And the Education Ministry must accept that its role in this crisis is not merely supervisory; it is consequential.  

Is this Bad Luck or Bad Governance?

Three years of irregularities in a single examination, which is the sole gateway to medicine for a nation of 1.4 billion people, is not bad luck. It is bad governance. The difference matters because bad luck passes. Bad governance, unless confronted directly, does not.

The author is a fifth-year law student at the University of Rajasthan, Five-Year Law College, Jaipur. Views expressed are personal. 

On 12^th May 2026, shocking news came up about the NEET 2026 exam cancellation by NTA, which was conducted on 3^rd May 2026. We are all very well aware of the importance of the NEET UG exam, which directly contributes to the healthcare sector of India. This particular exam is conducted every year, and lakhs of students appear with all their dedication and efforts. National Testing Agency (NTA) has been conducting this exam for many years but in recent years have shown incompetence and a lack of responsibility towards organising an exam. Over the past 3 years, many irregularities have been faced by the students, in 2024 the allegations of paper leak emerged from Patna, where candidates reportedly paid 30 lakhs to 50 lakhs to get access to the question paper. In Godhra, the teacher was accused of helping students to fill out the OMR for free and in Sawai Madhopur, “incorrect distribution” of the question paper was witnessed at the centre. And now comes up 2026, where the question paper was leaked in the form of a “guess paper” which consisted of questions that matched nearly 600 marks, and this led to the cancellation of the exam eventually. This cancellation directly affects 22 lakhs students who have given all their blood and sweat to this exam. We have already been witnessing suicide cases of NEET aspirants, which reflect what this exam actually means to them.

What’s the news?

The fact of the latest episode is that around 410 questions were passed on to the students, which consist of the same questions of NEET 2026, which sum up around 600 marks. It was reported that the “guess paper” was circulated on WhatsApp as early as 42 hours before the examination and it contained, according to the Rajasthan Special Operations Group, nearly 120 questions that bore striking similarities to the actual Biology and Chemistry sections of the paper. Nine arrests have been made across five states. A physical copy of the paper was allegedly leaked from a printing press in Nashik. A coaching-linked counsellor in Sikar has been taken into custody. The geography of the scandal, stretching from Rajasthan to Maharashtra to Uttarakhand, is itself an argument against the theory of isolated malpractice.

Claims by NTA or fake promises?

In 2024, the NEET exam was leaked on a very large scale and there was clear evidence of the same. At that time, NTA claimed to put in place stronger reforms. After 2024, NTA introduced multi-stage biometric verification, AI-assisted CCTV surveillance, GPS tracking of question papers, and 5G signal jammers at examination centres. More than 65 Telegram channels were blocked for circulating fake papers. The Radhakrishnan committee submitted wide-ranging recommendations to the Education Ministry, including a transition to online examinations and the reduction of dependence on contractual personnel and third-party service providers. And now the question of the matter is WAS THIS ALL NOT SUFFICIENT? The question that demands an answer is not merely why security failed again, but why the same failure keeps recurring despite repeated pledges of reform.

The Architecture of Failure

The NTA, established in 2017 to professionalise examination delivery, currently relies heavily on contractual staff to manage one of the highest-stakes tests in the country. After 2024, the Radhakrishnan committee was formed to prepare a report on the allegations put on NTA and that report highlighted that NTA is dangerously dependent on third-party vendors like contractual staff, which means that much of the sensitive work, including question processing, translation, and exam centre management, is handled by contractual personnel rather than permanent, accountable government officials. And also, many exams are conducted in private computer labs and schools that lack standardized security protocols, leading to non-functional CCTV cameras and “managed” cheating. When an institution managing the academic futures of 23 lakh students annually has neither a permanently staffed security apparatus nor an independent audit mechanism, it is not a question of whether a breach will occur, but when. The rot, in other words, is architectural.

The human cost behind the headlines

Every year, lakhs of students appear for NEET UG with a dream of becoming a doctor and contributing to the healthcare sector but these discrepancies shatter the dreams of younger minds. A NEET aspirant generally takes 2-3 years for preparation and even in some cases it goes to 5 years, relocate to different cities like Kota, Jaipur, Hyderabad for coaching, shift their life around this exam, and even suffer financially. And now the announcement of NEET cancellation and re-examination has given mental trauma to the students who have already given exams and were scoring well. And now the students have to pay the cost due to this administration’s fault. This injustice falls disproportionately on first-generation learners, students from rural backgrounds, and those without the financial cushion to absorb delays is a dimension of the scandal that rarely receives adequate attention.

What Reform Must Actually Look Like

What India requires now is not another inquiry, but action on the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel. The NTA must shift from being an administrative coordinator to a technology-first research body. There should be a reduction in reliance on private outsourcing and the main goal is to man the NTA with internal experts in psychometrics and cybersecurity rather than temporary contractual staff.

The transition to online examinations, which is technically feasible and operationally superior in limiting the physical handling of question papers and must be implemented without further delay.

There should be rigorous implementation of the Public Examinations Act, 2024, which mandates up to 10 years imprisonment and 1 crore rupees fine for organised paper leak syndicates.

The dependence on private printing infrastructure, which has now featured in multiple leak investigations, must end. And the Education Ministry must accept that its role in this crisis is not merely supervisory; it is consequential.  

Is this Bad Luck or Bad Governance?

Three years of irregularities in a single examination, which is the sole gateway to medicine for a nation of 1.4 billion people, is not bad luck. It is bad governance. The difference matters because bad luck passes. Bad governance, unless confronted directly, does not.

The author is a fifth-year law student at the University of Rajasthan, Five-Year Law College, Jaipur. Views expressed are personal.