Did you forget about NEET? Here's everything that happened in the last 30 days

What started as hushed conversations around a suspicious “guess paper” has now spiralled into one of India’s biggest examination controversies. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear crucial pleas in the NEET-UG paper leak case today, petitioners are seeking the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and a CBI investigation into the alleged leak.

The controversy, which triggered nationwide outrage, detentions, political attacks, and a sweeping Rajasthan Police probe, eventually forced the cancellation of NEET UG 2026 on May 12. With anxiety mounting ahead of the June 21 re-exam, the Centre is now even considering deploying Indian Air Force aircraft to ensure the secure transportation of question papers.

A DETAILED TIMELINE OF THE NEET UG 2026 CONTROVERSY

May 3: NEET UG 2026 conducted across India

The NTA conducted NEET UG 2026 on May 3 for over 22 lakh students across the country. Later, the agency stated that the examination was conducted under “full security protocol”, including GPS-tracked paper transportation, biometric verification, AI-assisted CCTV monitoring, and the deployment of 56 signal jammers at exam centres.

May 6-7: Students begin noticing question similarities

On May 6, the NTA released the provisional answer key for NEET UG 2026. Soon after, discussions began circulating online as students and coaching circles started talking about an alleged “guess paper” that reportedly resembled the actual examination.

According to investigators, a handwritten practice bank, or “guess paper”, had allegedly been circulating before the exam, particularly in Rajasthan. Questions were raised over how several questions appeared strikingly similar to those in the final paper.

May 7: NTA receives inputs about alleged malpractice

On May 7, the NTA confirmed that it had received inputs regarding alleged malpractice. The agency said the matter had been flagged from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. This marked the first official indication that authorities were taking the complaints seriously.

May 8: The matter escalates

The very next day, the NTA escalated the matter to central agencies for “independent verification and necessary action”. The agency said it was cooperating with investigators and sharing examination-related data and technical inputs.

At this stage, however, there was still no official confirmation of a paper leak.

May 10: Rajasthan SOG probe becomes public

The controversy exploded after Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) publicly confirmed that it had launched a probe into alleged irregularities linked to NEET UG 2026. Officials said investigators had discovered a set of over 400 questions that had allegedly circulated before the exam.

According to Additional DGP Vishal Bansal, more than 100 Biology and Chemistry questions showed “striking similarities” to the actual paper. Investigators launched searches and enquiries across Sikar, other Rajasthan cities, and even Dehradun.

May 11: The claim that triggered nationwide outrage

The controversy intensified after reports claimed that 135 questions from the circulated question bank allegedly matched the actual NEET paper.

According to an India Today report, all 90 Biology questions and all 45 Chemistry questions were allegedly found in the circulated material. The report said the questions accounted for nearly 600 marks out of NEET’s total 720 marks.

Officials, however, maintained that investigators were still trying to determine whether it was an unusually accurate “guess paper” or evidence of an actual leak.

The controversy turns political

The issue soon entered the political arena. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on X that NEET questions were being sold before the examination and accused the government of failing students.

The controversy also reignited memories of the NEET 2024 exam scandal, which had already shaken confidence in the country’s examination system.

Rajasthan SOG detains multiple suspects

As pressure mounted, the Rajasthan SOG detained multiple suspects linked to the investigation. Reports said more than 20 individuals were questioned as investigators examined the source and circulation trail of the alleged question bank.

Authorities, however, continued to maintain that the investigation was ongoing and that no final conclusion had yet been reached on whether the examination had been fully compromised.

May 12: NEET UG 2026 cancelled

On May 12, the NTA officially cancelled NEET UG 2026. The agency announced that the examination would be conducted again on fresh dates to be announced later.

The cancellation came amid mounting pressure over the alleged overlap between the circulated question bank and the actual examination paper.

May 15: Education Minister accepts responsibility

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the NEET re-examination would now be held on June 21 after the government concluded that the original paper had been leaked under the cover of so-called “guess papers”.

Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said, “Despite following the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee, there was a breach in the command chain. We accept it and take responsibility to improve it.”

The minister was referring to the high-level committee led by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, constituted after the 2024 NEET paper leak controversy. Pradhan said the government decided to cancel the exam because it did not want honest students to suffer due to what he described as an organised network of fraudsters and the “education mafia”.

May 22: NTA Chief’s claim sparks fresh debate

The National Testing Agency told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education that no full-fledged paper leak had occurred in the controversial NEET-UG 2026 examination, insisting that “only certain questions came out”.

According to sources, the agency maintained that it was instances of malpractice, rather than a complete paper leak, that prompted the cancellation of the examination.

The claim appeared to contrast sharply with Dharmendra Pradhan’s earlier statement acknowledging a “breach in the chain of command” and accepting responsibility for the leak controversy.

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh was summoned by the committee amid the uproar. According to sources present at the meeting, officials argued that even a limited compromise of questions was enough to erode trust in the system, prompting the decision to cancel the examination under the agency’s “zero-tolerance” policy.

May 27: CBI arrests Latur doctor, Pune coaching faculty member

The CBI arrested a doctor from Latur and a coaching institute faculty member from Pune in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, taking the total number of arrests in the investigation to 13. Investigators claim the network was involved in circulating examination questions before the test.

The newly arrested accused have been identified as Dr Manoj Shirure, a doctor based in Latur, and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, a Physics faculty member at Pune-based Dr Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy (APMA).

May 28: PMO steps in ahead of re-test

According to top government sources, officials from the Prime Minister’s Office will now closely monitor the entire examination chain, including paper setting, printing, transportation, and final delivery at exam centres.

The meeting reportedly lasted around 40 minutes and was attended by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, and senior PMO officials.

The fresh monitoring mechanism is aimed at preventing any repeat of the controversy that triggered nationwide outrage, protests, and political attacks over the credibility of India’s biggest medical entrance examination.

“No one will be spared”: Dharmendra Pradhan vows crackdown

Speaking exclusively to India Today, Dharmendra Pradhan said the government was making every possible effort to ensure a clean and fair NEET re-examination process and warned that no one responsible for irregularities or paper leaks would be spared.

Pradhan described the controversies surrounding NEET and CBSE examinations as “deeply unfortunate” and said such incidents should never have happened. He added that the government had accepted responsibility and was working to ensure such mistakes were not repeated.

The minister said coordination would take place at the district level and that around 5,400 examination centres and nearly one lakh classrooms would be involved in conducting the re-exam for nearly 22 lakh students. He added that the government was trying to ensure that as many centres as possible operated in government institutions under strict standard operating procedures and security protocols.

Supreme Court hearing today

The Supreme Court is set to hear key pleas in the NEET-UG paper leak case today, as the Centre explores the possibility of using Indian Air Force aircraft to transport question papers for the June 21 re-examination securely.

Petitioners have sought the dissolution of the NTA and a CBI probe into the alleged leak, setting the stage for what could become one of the most closely watched hearings in India’s recent examination history.