New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has cancelled the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) 2026 examination amid allegations that the question paper was leaked through “guess papers.” The examination, determining admission to medical colleges across India, will now be re-conducted on a date yet to be announced. In an official post on X, the NTA stated that “following approval from the government of India, [it] has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination held on May 3, 2026.” In continuation of its press release dated 10 May 2026, the National Testing Agency wishes to inform candidates, parents, and members of the public of the following decisions taken in respect of NEET (UG) 2026. NTA had, on 8 May 2026, referred the matters then under consideration…— National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) May 12, 2026More than 2.2 million candidates had appeared for the exam amid tight security arrangements, competing for just 59,416 MBBS seats available in government colleges.The alleged paper leakRajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG) is investigating reports that a handwritten document, described as a “guess paper,” was circulated among students via WhatsApp before the examination. The SOG confirmed that it is examining a document containing approximately 410 questions. Vishal Bansal, Additional Director General of the SOG, stated that over 100 questions from the Biology and Chemistry sections of the document “bear a strong resemblance” to the actual examination paper. Reportedly, there is a match of nearly 120 questions across the two subjects. The document was allegedly circulating among students as early as 15 days to a month prior to the exam.According to the Hindustan Times, investigators believe that the similarity of between questions could potentially impact scores amounting to roughly 600 out of 720 marks.The investigation has linked the alleged guess paper to an MBBS student from Churu, Rajasthan, who is currently studying at a medical college in Kerala. He supposedly sent the document to an acquaintance in Sikar on May 1. The operator of a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Sikar then distributed it among students, from where it spread rapidly through coaching networks and messaging applications.Sources told news agencies that two days before the exam, the material was being sold for up to Rs 5 lakh; by the day before the exam, the price had apparently dropped to around Rs 30,000.Maheshwar Peri, founder of Careers360, claimed that the scale of the leak was much wider. In a post on X, he alleged that 140 out of 180 questions in the NEET examination were part of the 410-questions guess paper and that the sequence of questions and answer options matched those in the actual paper.Peri identified Sikar, as the epicentre of the alleged network, noting that the region’s NEET success rate is six times higher than the national average. He further alleged that students in Sikar were summoned for a “mock test” the day before the exam and were coached on these specific questions. He added that similar accusations had surfaced in 2024 but were not treated with the seriousness they deserved. It isnt surprising that NEET exam has been cancelled by the @NTA_Exams . The hub of this entire operation is Sikar, where the success rate is 6X of national average. A similar thing happened in 2024 too, but the allegations were brushed under the carpet. Had we dealt with it in…— Maheshwer Peri (@maheshperi) May 12, 2026The investigationFollowing the allegations, NTA reported that it first received information about alleged irregularities four days after the exam, on the evening on May 7, after which the information was forwarded to central agencies on the morning of May 8 for independent verification. Investigations were initiated in several locations, including Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Dehradun and Kerala. By May 11, 13 individuals has been detained in connection with the case, and another accused was taken into custody in Nashik on May 12. NTA issued a statement acknowledging that such reports may cause anxiety among students and urged for calm, “We appeal to the students to allow the investigative agencies the time to complete their work. Necessary steps will be taken at the appropriate time in consultation with the Ministry of Education.”Doubts over the functioning of public examination bodiesRahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, called out the central government following reports of paper leak. He alleged that question papers were being sold via WhatsApp as early as 42 hours before the examination, and that “the trust of 2.2 million students has been shattered.” He also drew attention to a repetitive pattern: “In the span of ten years, there have been 89 paper leaks and 48 re-examinations. Every time, the same promises are made, followed by the same deafening silence.”Following the cancellation, Gandhi posted on X, urging the youth to search for who served as the NTA Director General during NEET 2024 irregularities and where that official was today. Subodh Kumar Singh was removed as the NTA Director General in June 2024 after NEET 2024 irregularities and was appointed as an additional secretary in the Ministry of Steel in October 2024. Currently, he serves as principal secretary to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.देश के युवाओं के सामने एक गंभीर बात रखना चाहता हूँ।एक काम कीजिए – खुद Google कीजिए: “NEET 2024 की भयंकर चोरी के दौरान NTA का DG कौन था, और मोदी सरकार ने उसे आज कहां बैठाया है?”देखा? समझ आया?BJP इसी तरह आप जैसे लाखों मेहनती विद्यार्थियों के भविष्य से खिलवाड़ करने वालों को…— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 12, 2026Systemic failureVijender Chauhan, a lecturer at Delhi University, observes that while allegations of irregularities had surfaced in 2024, the decision to cancel the examination this time suggests the impact was “far more widespread than anticipated.” He argued that the recurring nature of such incidents reflects a failure of the system itself and not merely the presence of a few bad actors. “Public trust in the examination system is eroding very rapidly. Students toil day and night, yet they no longer have the assurance that their selection will be based on their hard work and performance, rather than on some other ‘ecosystem’,” he said. Chauhan asserted the need for a serious deliberation regarding the financial funding of NTA. The agency does not receive direct budgetary support from the government and relies primarily on fees collected from students. “It ought to receive funding from the State,” he said, “as it serves as the custodian of public trust in examinations.” Chauhan contended that the integrity of the examination process is compromised due to reliance on the “lowest bidder” model.Citing a Rajya Sabha committee report, he noted that the NTA generated thousands of crores through examination fees while spending less on actually conducting the exams, resulting in a surplus. In a written response submitted to the Rajya Sabha on July 31, 2024, Education Minister Sukanta Majumdar presented year-wise data on the income and expenditure of the NTA since its establishment in 2018, confirming that the agency recorded a profit of Rs 448 crore over the last six years.Students line in front of an exam centre on May 3. Photo: PTI.Chauhan also stressed that the burden of paper leaks falls disproportionately on the most disadvantaged. “Students from rural areas, marginalised communities, disadvantaged castes and specific gender groups are severely affected. Not everyone possesses the means to retake an exam, drop another academic year or re-enroll in coaching classes. In such cases, those who are already on the margins of society are pushed even further to the periphery.”Senior journalist Tribhuvan said that the cancellation of a medical entrance examination was not an unprecedented event. In 2015, the AIPMT, the predecessor to the current NEET-UG structure, was cancelled by the Supreme Court on grounds of “fairness and credibility.” In 2024, the court decided not to cancel NEET-UG as it deemed the irregularities insufficient to constitute “a grave breach in the system.”The fact that cancellation has now become unavoidable, Tribhuvan added, is itself a verdict on the state of the system. “What is needed now is not merely a re-examination, but a complete reconstruction, specifically, a forensic audit of the NTA, accountability at every stage from paper-setting to transportation, an investigation into the role of private agencies and action against the ‘examination mafia’ akin to that taken against organised crime syndicates.”Students surrounded by uncertaintyFor more than two million students who appeared for the exam on May 3, the cancellation has meant a sudden and disorienting turn to uncertainty, after years of rigorous preparation.Hani Chaudhary, a 19-year-old aspirant from Mathura, spent nearly two years preparing, studying five to six hours daily, more during exam season. Finally feeling hopeful after the exam, she had gone away on vacation. As she prepares to dive back into revision, Hani told The Wire Hindi, “People are securing high marks through leaks and cheating, which diminishes the value of our hard work. This is absolutely unfair.” She stated that the agency responsible for conducting such a massive examination should not have committed such a lapse, “everything should have been done correctly the very first time. The situation necessitating a re-exam should never have arisen.”Sana Asad (name changed for anonymity) was “disappointed, but not surprised,” by the cancellation. “I wish the government had taken this matter more seriously,” she said. “Such negligence serves as proof that it does not care about the future of the children of this country.” She described NEET as “an unending loop” that crushes students, referencing the 2024 scandal, in which 20 students were controversially awarded grace marks at certain centres. “I thought it was all finally over, but now I have to start everything from scratch,” she added tearfully. Harsha, from Bihar, was attempting NEET for the third time and has been confident of finally securing a government medical college seat. The news of the re-examination left her feeling anxious, although she maintains that if irregularities did indeed occur, cancellation was necessary. “I was satisfied with the score I was projected to achieve,” she said. “But now, knowing I have to sit for the exam all over again, I feel nervous. I will strive to score even higher so I can get admission to an even better college.”A 22-year-old student from Delhi expressed his disappointment upon hearing the news. “I was hopeful that I would finally secure admission to a good college this time,” he said. “I had even planned a vacation with my family. Now, I have to cancel everything and go back to round-the-clock preparation.” In a weary tone, he remarked, “No one here seems to care about the toll paper leaks and exam cancellations take on the mental health of students. No one ever stops to think about that.”Vaishnavi, from Patna, told The Wire Hindi that for the first time in the past two years, she had felt a sense of relief after the exam. Finding the paper relatively balanced, she expected to score approximately 655 marks, anticipating that the lower difficulty level would adjust cutoffs, thereby putting a government seat within reach. The cancellation diminished that hope. “After three years of preparation, returning to that same pressure is incredibly difficult,” Vaishnavi said. “My two consecutive attempts have been spent under immense stress and now we are in the exact same situation. The NTA talks about transparency and strict scrutiny every year; how, then, does something like this still happen?” Talking about the 2024 irregularities, she asked, “If the exam wasn’t cancelled nationwide back then, why was a pan-India cancellation deemed necessary this time? For students, who have taken a drop year, this isn’t just another exam. It feels like putting yet another year of your life on the line.”“After three years of preparation, returning to that same pressure is incredibly difficult.” Photo: PTI.The 2024 paper leakThis incident has emerged less than two years after the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak scandal, which triggered nationwide protests, a Supreme Court ruling and a CBI inquiry. The Wire Hindi earlier reporting revealed that Hardayal Public School in Jhajjar, Haryana, was the primary hub of irregularities during the NEET 2024 examination. More than 500 students appeared at this centre. Of these, six candidates secured a perfect score of 720 out of 720. Two others received scores of 718 and 719, results that were described by experts as mathematically impossible under the exam’s marking scheme. That the system has arrived at the same point again two years later, is what makes the incident even more despairing.This article first appeared on The Wire Hindi. It has been translated by Naushin Rehman.