NEET-UG exam canceled after allegations of paper leakage. The exam will be conducted again next month.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 papers leak issue. He accused the Center of failing to stop repeated exam leaks and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue.
Gandhi compared the government’s handling of the NEET 2024 and 2026 controversies, saying the same cycle of leaks, investigations and committees is repeating itself.
“NEET 2024: Paper leak. Exam has not been cancelled. Minister has not resigned. CBI has set up an investigation. A committee has been formed. NEET 2026: Paper leak. Exam has been cancelled. Minister has not resigned yet. CBI is investigating again. Another committee will be formed,” Gandhi wrote.
Modi asked why accountability has not been reformed despite repeated cases of paper leakage. “Mr Modi, the country is asking you some questions – answer them! Why are paper leaks so frequent? Why are you repeatedly silent about the ‘exam paper discussion’? Why don’t you sack the education minister who fails again and again?” Gandhi wrote on X.
“Sak Pradhan,” he wrote.
NEET 2026 leakage issue
The remarks came amid the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the NEET-UG 2026 leak case, which has led to multiple arrests in several states.
Investigators alleged that confidential question papers were leaked from within the National Testing Agency (NTA) through members associated with the paper preparation process. Two people familiar with the examination process, retired chemistry lecturer P V Kulkarni and Pune-based botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhari, were arrested on charges of leaking questions ahead of the May 3 exam.
Investigators claimed that the accused leaked questions and answers to selected students in exchange for large sums of money.
So far, nine people from five states have been arrested in this case. Searches at six locations led to the seizure of documents, laptops, banking records and mobile phones related to the investigation.
“Money-making nexus of BJP and RSS”: Rahul Gandhi
On Saturday, Gandhi accused the Modi government of bringing down millions of students. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha claimed that the question paper was distributed on WhatsApp two days before the exam.
He also alleged the existence of a “money-making nexus” involving the BJP, RSS and people appointed to universities.
NEET 2024 leakage issue
In 2024, allegations emerged of leaks and irregularities during the medical entrance exam. The controversy intensified after 67 students received perfect marks.
Police in Bihar subsequently uncovered an alleged paper leakage racket on exam day. Investigators said the candidates paid their own money $30 lakh for $50k to access the leaked papers before the exam.
The case was later handed over to the CBI, which alleged that the paper was illegally accessed from the examination center at Hazaribagh in Jharkhand before the start of the examination. They are traded through regulated networks that include brokers, students and local operators.
The controversy also led to anger over “marks of grace” and unusually high grades. In July 2024, the Supreme Court acknowledged the existence of a paper leak but refused to cancel the exam, saying there was no evidence of a “systematic violation.”
