NEW DELHI: Medical students have been barred from taking leave on June 20 and 21 to prevent them from appearing as proxy candidates in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21 – a practice that has been reported in previous editions of the exam.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has advised all medical colleges not to grant leave on those days except in “exceptional circumstances with due justification”, based on a directive from the Department of Higher Education (DoHE) of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“This measure is intended to be a preventive step to discourage any potential misuse and support fair conduct of screening,” NMC Secretary Dr Raghav Langer said in a notification dated June 18. The notification sought “strict compliance” by all medical colleges and institutes.
Earlier, through a notification dated April 23, medical students were prohibited from leaving on May 2 and 3 before the examination. NEET-UG 2026 held on May 3 was canceled on May 12 following allegations of paper leakage, including alleged overlaps between the previously distributed guess paper and the actual paper. More than 2.27 million candidates have applied for the May 3 exam.
On June 13, Health Ministry Secretary Vineet Joshi wrote to Union Health Ministry Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, urging vigilance and awareness among students against any involvement in malpractices. He also recommended that students not be allowed to take leave on June 20 and 21 except in justified cases.
“In view of some of the cases reported in the past…all medical colleges must remain vigilant and ensure sensitization of medical students against any involvement in activities detrimental to the conduct of examination,” the NMC notification said.
Officials of NMC, NTA and Education Department said in NEET UG 2024, at least 7 MBBS students from Bihar, Jharkhand and Rajasthan were arrested who either appeared as proxy candidates for aspirants or were part of solution gangs.
“NMC has issued a general notice to all medical colleges on the request of the Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education. There have been some instances in the past where various investigating agencies and the Ministry of Education have informed us that some medical students were allegedly involved in impersonation and sitting as proxy candidates. In order to ensure the sanctity of this examination, the Education Ministry has asked us to issue the notice and have asked the medical college to remain vigilant and not grant leaves to students on June 20 and June 20,” a senior NMC official told HT, requesting anonymity.
NTA will conduct NEET-UG 2026 re-examination in one shift from 2 pm to 5:15 pm in pen and paper mode on Sunday across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad for over 22.79 lakh candidates. NEET-UG qualification is mandatory for admission to MBBS and other medical courses in UG.
More than 200,000 personnel have been deployed across the country, including 674 city coordinators, 6,669 monitors, station supervisors and monitors, district administration officials, and police and escort teams. Personnel from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have also been engaged to assist in safe transportation, protection of classified screening material and overall security arrangements.
Meanwhile, NTA also announced that it will send exam updates and center information directly to candidates from its verified WhatsApp account: +91 7827980287. The agency said the aim of this initiative is to make essential information reach candidates directly and reduce avoidable confusion.
