Overview
- The National Testing Agency cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG after evidence showed question material had circulated before the exam and the agency referred the matter to the CBI on May 12, which has registered a criminal case and made arrests.
- The NTA told the Supreme Court it will hold a re-examination on June 21 and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally supervising preparations while the agency implements biometric verification, AI-monitored CCTV, mobile jammers, multiple question sets and background checks.
- Investigators have focused on an interstate leak network and say suspects arrested include professors and coaching-centre tutors with access to questions; authorities are analysing WhatsApp chats, financial transactions and other digital evidence.
- Separately, the Common University Entrance Test was delayed on May 30 by a technical glitch blamed on TCS, the NTA granted full compensatory time and will reschedule a one-time re-test for 3,765 candidates who left after biometric registration.
- The incidents have triggered sharp political criticism and Supreme Court scrutiny, raised questions about how prior HLCE recommendations were implemented, and fast-tracked the NTA’s pledge to move NEET to computer-based testing to reduce vendor and human points of failure.