NEET 2026 Paper Leak; NTA Director Admits 'Gaps In System' Amid Nationwide Outrage: Reports
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh admits having gaps in the exam system following NEET 2026 exam cancelled on May 3. Read more about new June 21 re-exam security measures, Education minister's directions to states and recent updates on NEET 2026 exam here.
National Testing Agency is facing heavy criticism over alleged NEET paper leak controversy. Students, educationalists, and the general public are criticising the agency for loopholes in the examination. The crisis sparked even more following the tragic rise in suicide cases following NEET 2026 re test news by the education ministry. As per media reports, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh acknowledged that NEET 2026 exam had shortcomings in how the test was managed.
“There are gaps in the system, and we are working to plug them," Singh stated in a recent interview with the media. The NTA chief emphasised that NTA is taking full responsibility for the lapses and is not shying away from public accountability.
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NEET 2026 Paper Leak: Telegram Leaks and Sikar Connection
The NEET exam question paper leak controversy began after central government cancelled the May 3 exam. Nearly 22 lakh students had appeared for the test. However, safety measures failed when about 120 questions leaked on Telegram channels in Rajasthan right after the exam ended. The alleged leaked questions closely matched local guess papers.
Commonly asked questions
The NTA allowed the NEET Re-Exam Address and City of Examination Choice filling facility for the candidates. The last date to make these changes in the application was May 21.
The responses marked on the OMR Sheet of NEET are scanned and uploaded on the official website of NTA. The responses marked are read and captured by the machines, which can sometimes lead to smudging of the responses. Therefore, there can be errors in the scanned copy of NEET OMR sheet. If a student finds any such error in their OMR sheet, they have the provision to challenge them. Candidates have to pay a processing fee of INR 200 per response challenged. The steps for challenging the OMR sheet of NEET are given below:
- Go to the official website of NTA NEET
- Login using the NEET application number and password or date of birth
- Click on “OMR Challenge”
- You will see the questions in sequential order
- Select Question (s) for which you wish to challenge the Recorded Response.
- Once you select any Question for Challenge, you will see three options under the column ‘Candidate’s Claim’.
- If you wish to challenge this option, you may use the Options given in the ‘Candidate’s Claim’ column.
- After clicking your desired option, for Physics / Chemistry / Botany / Zoology for NEET (UG) - 2023, scroll down, ‘Submit’, and move to the next screen.
- You will see a screen displaying your challenges.
- Click on ‘Submit' and Pay Fee Finally’.
- Select Mode of Payment and Pay a processing fee of INR 200 for each question/grade challenged. Make payment through Debit/Credit Card/Net Banking/Paytm.
- After successful payment, download/print the Answer Key challenge receipt
The National Testing Agency released the NEW Dates for the NEET 2026 exam. The NEET 2026 exam held on May 3 was cancelled by the NTA. The RE-NEET exam date was June 21, 2026.
Reportedly, a coaching centre in Sikar was already under scrutiny for unusually high success rates in previous years. Reports indicate that these leaked NEET 2026 question papers were sold for INR 5 lakh each in the coaching centres across region.
Strict Security Assured by Union Education Minister for June 21 Re-Exam
The rescheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be conducted on June 21. Director General Abhishek Singh & Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has assured students and parents that the upcoming test will have much tighter security protocols and complete transparency. The agency plans to use advanced digital tracking tools to stop future exam malpractices before they can start.
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Mayank Uniyal is an MCom graduate in International Business. He has over 7 years of experience in content writing. He has been working in the education domain since the beginning of his career. He covers news and up
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