The use of the word ‘leak’ was objected to by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Testing Agency (NTA) in a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday while discussing the cancellation of this year’s NEET-UG paper for reconnection amid allegations of violation.
A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports turned divisive when BJP MPs objected to the use of the word ‘leak’ – opposing it both in the proceedings and in the agenda circulated three days ago, according to an earlier HT report. Opposition members objected to the BJP’s stance. The NTA and the ministry confirmed that “it was not a leak.”
The 31-member committee is headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh and also includes 17 members from the BJP, four from the Congress, three from the Samajwadi Party, two from the Trinamool Congress and one each from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP); Three seats are currently vacant.
The NTA on May 12 said it has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 exam conducted on May 3, 2026, and reconduct the exam on dates to be notified separately.
NEET (UG) is the national entrance examination conducted by NTA for admission into undergraduate medical programmes.
The NTA said the decision was taken in light of the inputs received, as well as the findings shared by law enforcement agencies, which demonstrated that the current vetting process cannot be allowed to continue.
Internal details from the parliamentary committee meeting
The Center told the parliamentary committee on Thursday that it is considering capping the number of attempts and introducing an upper age limit for NEET-UG aspirants — a major shift in the exam that currently has no such restrictions — and that these measures, along with a gradual shift to computer-based testing (CBT), constitute the next phase of reforms flowing from the Radhakrishnan Committee’s recommendations.
NEET-UG has no upper age limit and no maximum attempts currently; The only eligibility threshold is a minimum age of 17 years. The three reforms – attempt and age limits, transition to cognitive behavioral therapy, and multi-session and multi-stage testing – have been submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sport as “long-term measures” to be implemented in consultation with the Ministry of Health.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan separately announced on May 15 that NEET-UG will move to digital format from next year.
Regarding the update on the investigation, the NTA told the committee that it received inputs on the “alleged malpractice” late on May 7, escalated it to the central agencies on May 8, and the exam was canceled on May 12. The retest will be conducted on June 21.
The Central Bank of Iraq, which is investigating the case, has arrested 10 accused so far. In its remand request filed on May 14, the agency cited the Department of Education’s complaint that the exam “was hacked due to secret PDF exams being circulated via WhatsApp prior to the exam and that some frequently asked questions allegedly matched the actual exam paper.”
