New Delhi: The NEET UG 2026 controversy has reached the Supreme Court after the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) filed a petition seeking a court-monitored re-conduct of the examination and demanding a judicial probe into the alleged paper leak. The association has also called for restructuring or replacing the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a more transparent and technologically robust body. The Centre has meanwhile handed over the investigation to the CBI.
Amid mounting allegations of malpractice, the NTA cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3 for over 22 lakh candidates. The agency said fresh dates for the re-exam and revised admit cards would be announced separately.
The cancellation followed reports of large-scale irregularities linked to a pre-circulated “guess paper” that allegedly matched nearly 120 Chemistry questions and several Biology questions from the actual examination. Reports claimed the material had reached coaching centres in Sikar, Rajasthan, nearly a month before the exam and was sold to aspirants for up to Rs 7.3 lakh, even on the eve of the test. Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group has since conducted raids and questioned several suspects.
As the investigation expanded across three states, alleged mastermind Manish Yadav was detained in Jaipur. Another accused, Dhananjay Lokhande, was arrested from Ahilyanagar after allegedly fleeing Pune to evade arrest.
Speaking to NDTV, NEET aspirant Sudhanshu said he had expected to score over 650 marks in his first attempt after preparing for two years in Patna before appearing for the exam in Jharkhand’s Palamu. Expressing disappointment over the cancellation, he said students were now under severe mental stress and uncertain whether they would be able to perform similarly in the re-exam.
Another accused, Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, was also taken into custody. Investigators alleged he bought the leaked paper for Rs 10 lakh and later sold it to a buyer in Haryana for Rs 15 lakh through an encrypted messaging application. Officials said he had altered his appearance to avoid detection but was traced using surveillance inputs and older photographs.
Investigators believe the leak originated in Nashik, Maharashtra, where the first digital copy of the paper surfaced before spreading to states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and Kerala.
