India’s medical entrance test -- NEET (UG) 2026 -- held on May 3 was cancelled by the government on Tuesday amid allegations of paper leak and the CBI registering an FIR. Even as the government said fresh dates would be notified in next 7-10 days, Opposition Congress and other parties came down heavily on the paper leak and demanded accountability.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET (Under Graduate) exam, said the decision to cancel the exam was taken in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.

The examination was conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad with 96.92 per cent turnout from nearly 23 lakh candidates.

The NTA statement said that the inputs received, taken together with findings shared by law enforcement agencies, established that the present examination process could not be allowed to stand. NTA’s Director General Abhishek Singh said: “Paper leaks must end with immediate effect. It is unfortunate that we are at this stage. This is a matter of concern for the children of our country, for their parents, and for the entire ecosystem.”

Singh further said: “I understand that more than two lakh people were involved in the examination system. We take responsibility for what has happened. It was wrong. We are cancelling it and preparing to conduct it again with the assurance that such incidents will not be repeated.”

The CBI on Tuesday registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and under the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024. It also sent multiple teams to various locations and coordinating with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police to collect materials.

The Rajasthan Police SOG had claimed that a ‘guess paper’ for chemistry was circulated among students ahead of the examination had approximately 410 questions and roughly 120 of these were in the question paper. In Nashik (Maharashtra), a man has been detained in connection with the paper leak.

The cancellation has triggered nationwide outrage among medical aspirants as students took to social media questioning NTA’s competence and many even demanded the exam be conducted by AIIMS-Delhi.

The Opposition parties termed it administrative failure, insensitivity toward students and “repeated lapses” in the conduct of competitive examinations. Student organisations affiliated with Congress and CPM -- NSUI and SFI held protests at several places.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targetted the government over the cancellation, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s so-called ‘amrit kaal’ (nectar-filled era) has turned into a ‘vish kaal’ (poison-filled era) for the country.

Gandhi said: “The NEET 2026 examination has been cancelled. The hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been crushed by this corrupt BJP regime. Some fathers took loans, some mothers sold their jewellery, lakhs of children stayed up all night studying, and in return, they got paper leaks, government negligence, and organised corruption in education. This is not just a failure-it’s a crime against the future of the youth.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the credibility of conducting the examination and asked what was the guarantee that papers won’t be leaked again if the test was re-conducted by same agency. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal urged students to raise their voice on the issue. “I want to tell the students that they will have to come out on the streets. The AAP would stand with them. This government only understands the language of mass agitation,” , Kejriwal said.

Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose alleged there was ‘zero accountability’ in the Narendra Modi government and accused it of being “incapable of daily administration”. CPI(M) MP John Brittas said repeated failures in national examinations were eroding public trust in the system. RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav also slammed the Centre.

Published on May 12, 2026