The Parliamentary Standing Committee has called the NTA chief and senior officials from the Education Ministry. Andy Barbour/Pexels
India

Parliamentary Panel Summons NTA Chief Over NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak, Exam Reforms

Parliamentary Standing Committee to question NTA and Education Ministry officials on May 21 over alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak, Rajasthan link, CBI arrests and exam reforms.

Author : Arushi Roy Chowdhury

The alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak has reached Parliament, with a Parliamentary Standing Committee summoning senior officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Union Education Ministry for a review meeting on May 21, 2026, in New Delhi.

The panel will examine the status of the ongoing investigation into the alleged leak and review the implementation of reforms in India’s national testing system.

The meeting comes amid continuing controversy over the NEET UG 2026 examination, which was allegedly compromised and later cancelled. The panel is expected to seek details from the NTA and the Education Ministry on how the alleged leak occurred, what corrective steps have been taken, and whether earlier reform measures have been implemented effectively.

NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak

The NEET UG 2026 exam, held on May 3, 2026, was cancelled after allegations of a paper leak linked to Rajasthan surfaced. Reports said the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) investigated claims that a 410-question “guess paper” had circulated before the exam, with around 120 questions allegedly matching the Chemistry paper.

The probe later widened, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arresting accused persons, including Dinesh Biwal, Mangilal Biwal and Vikas Biwal, in connection with the alleged circulation of the material through coaching networks in Sikar. The Rajasthan angle has become central to the case as investigators examine the role of coaching hubs, middlemen and possible pre-exam access to question material.

NTA Chief and Education Ministry Officials Summoned

The Parliamentary Standing Committee has called the NTA chief and senior officials from the Education Ministry for discussions on the alleged paper leak and broader examination reforms. The meeting will focus on the credibility of national-level entrance examinations and the steps required to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The NTA conducts several major entrance examinations in India, including NEET UG, the gateway for admission to undergraduate medical courses. Any allegation of a paper leak in such a high-stakes examination has serious consequences for lakhs of medical aspirants, parents, coaching centres and medical colleges across the country.

May 21 Meeting to Focus on Exam Reforms

The Parliamentary panel’s review on May 21 is expected to cover two major areas: the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak investigation and the implementation of reforms within the NTA. The committee is likely to ask officials to explain the safeguards used during paper-setting, printing, distribution, digital security, exam-centre monitoring and post-exam evaluation.

The discussion is also expected to examine whether the NTA has strengthened its testing protocols after previous controversies around competitive examinations. The panel’s intervention signals that Parliament is treating the issue as a matter of institutional accountability, not just an isolated examination dispute.

The panel will examine the status of the ongoing investigation into the alleged leak and review the implementation of reforms in India’s national testing system.

Political Reactions Grow Amid NEET Row

The alleged NEET paper leak has also triggered political reactions. Tamil Nadu actor-politician Vijay called for NEET to be abolished and suggested that medical admissions should be based on Class 12 marks instead. He argued that this was not the first time NEET had been compromised.

Tamil Nadu has long opposed NEET, arguing that the examination disadvantages rural, underprivileged and vernacular-medium students while favouring urban and affluent candidates.

(Rh/ARC)

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