New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak as a “ghor paap” (grave sin) and said the government had acted immediately after the incident came to light by arresting those responsible and ordering a re-examination to protect the interests of students.
Addressing the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting, the Prime Minister said all those involved in the paper leak had been arrested, with 13 accused currently in judicial custody.
Government acted swiftly, says Rijiju
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre responded promptly to the controversy by arresting the accused and ensuring they were sent to jail. To safeguard the future of medical aspirants, the government decided to conduct a fresh NEET-UG examination, which was successfully held, and the results were declared on schedule.
Rijiju said the Prime Minister had directed authorities to ensure the strictest possible punishment for those involved so that similar incidents do not recur and the integrity of public examinations is preserved.
Paper leak sparked nationwide controversy
The NEET-UG 2026 controversy erupted after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released the provisional answer key on May 6, when students and coaching institutes alleged that a “guess paper” closely matched the actual examination.
Investigators later claimed that handwritten question papers had circulated before the examination, particularly in Rajasthan. The NTA subsequently referred allegations from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand to central agencies, while the Rajasthan Police claimed that more than 400 questions had leaked before the examination, with 135 allegedly matching the final question paper.
The developments prompted the cancellation of the original examination, and a nationwide re-examination was conducted on June 21.
Fresh concerns over re-exam results
Following the declaration of the re-examination results, some candidates from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh alleged discrepancies in their scores and claimed there were mismatches in their OMR sheets.
The NTA rejected the allegations, maintaining that its evaluation process was secure. The agency also cautioned students against relying on fake or AI-generated OMR sheets circulating online and issued case-specific clarifications denying allegations of score manipulation and OMR swaps.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions seeking a CBI probe into the alleged paper leak and the dissolution of the NTA.