On May 3, 2026, over 22 lakh young students sat for the NEET-UG examination — the sole
gateway to undergraduate medical education in the country. Nine days later, their futures
were thrown into uncertainty. The National Testing Agency (NTA), acting on directions from
the Government of India, cancelled the exam after central investigative agencies confirmed
that the question paper had been leaked, circulated, and sold before the examination even
began. The CBI has registered an FIR, arrested seven people, detained over 45, and is
actively probing whether an NTA insider was also involved. A re-examination has been
scheduled for June 21, 2026. HOW THE LEAK HAPPENED According to the CBI’s own
remand plea, the paper was sourced from a printing press in Jaipur. An accused named
Mangilal Biwal allegedly received a hard copy of the NEET-UG paper, handwrote its
contents, scanned it into PDF files, and circulated them through WhatsApp and Telegram to
students at coaching centers in Sikar, Rajasthan. By April 29—four days before the
exam—the leaked papers had already reached a counselor’s mobile phone. Students paid
between ₹2 lakh and ₹5 lakh per person for access; some aspirants reportedly paid as much
as ₹30 lakh. The Delhi court, upon granting CBI custody of the five key accused, noted the
evidence revealed an “organized gang” leaking confidential papers for monetary gain. The
JVE arrests include Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal, and Dinesh Biwal (all from Jaipur); Yash
Yadav (Gurugram); and Shubham Khairnar (Nashik). Investigators say the network spanned
at least eight states, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Kerala, Uttarakhand,
and Jammu & Kashmir. A FAILURE THAT WAS PROMISED WOULD NOT RECUR. What
makes the 2026 scandal legally and morally indefensible is its familiarity. In 2024, NEET-UG
was engulfed in one of India’s worst examination scandals—67 students scored a perfect
720/720, grace marks were fraudulently awarded to 1,563 candidates, and the CBI was
called in.
The NTA’s Director General was removed. Parliament debated the collapse. A high-level
committee chaired by former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan submitted 101 reform
recommendations—including a shift to digital, centre-generated papers — but the
government made these public only in April 2025, six months after submission. None of the
critical reforms were implemented before May 3, 2026. The Public Examinations (Prevention
of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — passed specifically after the 2024 scandal — prescribes 3 to
10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to ₹1 crore for organised exam crime. A law was on the
books. The crime happened anyway. THE HUMAN COST In Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar
Pradesh, a 21-year-old NEET aspirant hanged himself at his home after the cancellation was
announced, according to his father. Across the country, students and parents who had spent
years and enormous sums in preparation found themselves in limbo. The Federation of All
India Medical Association (FAIMA) led a petition before the Supreme Court demanding that
NTA be replaced or fundamentally restructured with a robust, autonomous body. The
Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) wrote to the Prime Minister
demanding strict action and an immediate shift to computer-based testing. Protests erupted
outside Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi. Additionally, investigators are now questioning
whether NEET 2025 was also compromised — the Biwal family, at the centre of the 2026
probe, had four members who cleared NEET in 2025, a result once celebrated nationally,
and now under scrutiny. No formal investigation into 2025 has yet been ordered, but the
absence of a probe is not a clean bill of health. LEGAL ACCOUNTABILITY & WHAT MUST
HAPPEN The Supreme Court must take suo motu cognizance of the NEET 2026 scandal
and impose a time-bound, court-monitored CBI investigation. FAIMA’s petition for NTA
restructuring must receive an urgent hearing. If CBI confirms insider involvement within NTA,criminal prosecution under the Public Examinations Act must follow — not merely
administrative transfers. A parallel judicial probe into NEET 2025 is necessary to protect the
integrity of medical seats already filled. The government’s announced shift to
computer-based testing from 2027 must be codified as a legal obligation, not left as policy
intent. Students affected by the cancellation deserve a formal redress mechanism beyond a
rescheduled exam date. Under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution, the state’s
repeated failure to ensure a fair examination process is not just an administrative lapse—it is
a violation of the fundamental rights of 22 lakh students who were promised equal
opportunity and received betrayal instead.