The National Testing Agency appeared before Parliament's Standing Committee on Education with a carefully worded defence of its handling of the NEET-UG 2026 controversy. Its central claim: "No paper leak took place, only certain questions came out."

The distinction landed in a room that had summoned NTA precisely because the exam conducted on May 3 had been cancelled on May 12 after allegations emerged that questions circulating before the test matched portions of the actual paper. The CBI has since made multiple arrests across states, detaining alleged intermediaries, teachers, examination centre staff and individuals accused of facilitating irregularities.

What NTA told the committee

NTA Chief Abhishek Singh and Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi informed the panel that malpractices and irregularities had been detected but did not amount to a complete paper leak. They told the committee that several recommendations for strengthening the examination process had already been implemented, with others still underway.

Officials argued the decision to cancel was consistent with NTA's zero-tolerance approach, that even a limited compromise of questions is enough to undermine confidence in the examination process and, therefore, warranted cancellation. Sources said officials reiterated that "no paper leak happened" while simultaneously accepting that instances of malpractice triggered the May 12 cancellation.

Education minister acknowledges a breach

The government's public position has been somewhat more direct. 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 controversy, language that sits in some tension with NTA's insistence that no paper leak occurred.

Re-examination set for June 21

The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination has been scheduled for June 21, 2026, running from 2 pm to 5:15 pm. NTA has confirmed that candidates will not need to re-register or pay any additional fee, existing registrations remain valid and fresh admit cards will be issued ahead of the test. Students have also been given the option to update their exam city preferences.

Authorities have said additional safeguards and stricter monitoring mechanisms will be in place for the re-examination, though the specifics of those measures have not been publicly detailed.

Published on: May 22, 2026 7:31 AM IST