CBI registers FIR in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case after exam cancellation

The CBI lodged an FIR on Tuesday over the alleged leak of the NEET (UG) 2026 paper, officials said.

The high-stakes entrance examination, held on May 3 for admission to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday after allegations of malpractice surfaced.

The CBI swung into action following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education of the Union Ministry of Education, the officials said.

After receiving a reference from the Centre, the CBI moved with alacrity, registering a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024, they added.

The agency has dispatched multiple special teams to various locations and will also collect material from the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police that was investigating the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had earlier solved the NEET paper-leak cases of 2024.

"It has further been alleged that the NTA received a complaint and inputs regarding the reported circulation of some documents pertaining to the NEET (UG) 2026 prior to the conduct of the examination," an official in the know of the developments said.

The allegations indicate a possible compromise of the sanctity and integrity of the examination process, he said.

"The CBI has taken up the matter for a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the nature and extent of the alleged irregularities, as well as the involvement of individuals and entities connected therewith," the official said.

The NEET-UG 2026 was conducted in 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres.

Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA at centres across the country.

According to the NTA, information relating to alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination was held.

The NTA said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for "independent verification and necessary action".

The Rajasthan Police's SOG had claimed that a "guess paper" for chemistry that was allegedly circulated among students ahead of the examination had approximately 410 questions, including roughly 120 questions that appeared in the test.

While the chemistry paper in the exam carries 45 questions, the test used four sets of question papers.

"It is reported that this guess paper had been circulating among the students well in advance. It began reaching them as early as 15 days to a month prior to the actual examination. We are investigating on the basis of the guess paper and it is also available in open domain," ADG, SOG, Vishal Bansal had said.