IBEX NEWS BUREAU,Shimla
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday announced the cancellation of NEET (UG) 2026, conducted on May 3, and said the examination will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately.
The CBI will carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations linked to the exam, the agency said.
In a statement, the NTA said the decision was taken in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.
Around 2.3 million students had appeared for the examination. In NEET (UG) 2026, nearly 23 lakh candidates from across the country participated. The examination was conducted in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, with a total of 22.79 lakh students appearing for the test. Following the decision to cancel the examination, an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty has emerged among lakhs of students and parents.
After the NEET UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, suspicions regarding a paper leak began to intensify. In Rajasthan, several students were reportedly found carrying a handwritten “guess paper,” the questions of which were said to closely match those in the actual examination. The matter soon gained widespread attention. Subsequently, on May 10, the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG), acting on intelligence inputs, detained 13 suspects from Dehradun, Sikar, and Jhunjhunu. Among those detained was a career counsellor associated with a coaching institute in Sikar.
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