Cancel NEET, allow Class 12-based admission: CM Vijay reiterates Tamil Nadu stance

Amid the nationwide fallout over the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, Tanil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday renewed Tamil Nadu’s long-standing opposition to the medical entrance examination, urging the Union government to abolish NEET-based admissions and allow states to admit students on the basis of Class 12 marks.

In a statement posted on X, the Chief Minister said the latest paper leak controversy had exposed the “structural flaws” in the national-level examination system and shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.

“The Government of Tamil Nadu reiterates the State’s long-pending demand to abolish NEET and permit the States to fill all seats under the State quota in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses on the basis of Class 12 marks,” the Chief Minister said.

The statement came days after the National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of question paper leaks and irregularities. The matter has since been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation for investigation

His remarks came as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested five persons and carried out searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case, triggering nationwide protests and fresh demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Vijay said successive Tamil Nadu governments had consistently and unanimously opposed NEET since its inception, arguing that the examination disproportionately affected students from rural areas, government schools, Tamil medium backgrounds and socio-economically disadvantaged families. He demanded that the examination be abolished and states be allowed to fill medical seats based on Class 12 marks.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3 amid allegations of a paper leak, a case now under CBI investigation. The cancellation has left more than 22 lakh medical aspirants and their families uncertain about the admission process.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) moved the Supreme Court seeking a complete overhaul of the NTA and its replacement with a “technologically advanced and autonomous body” to restore the integrity of medical entrance examinations.

Student wings of several political parties staged protests across the country on Wednesday. NSUI and Indian Youth Congress workers demanded Pradhan’s resignation and called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the controversy. Members of ABVP and SFI also held demonstrations.

The Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG), which first investigated the case, said it traced the origin of a “guess paper” containing questions similar to those asked in the exam to a student from Sikar district studying MBBS in Kerala. Officials said the student shared the material with friends and a hostel owner in Sikar.

SOG Inspector General Ajay Pal Lamba said the guess material later circulated among coaching students and eventually reached candidates in Jaipur and nearby areas before the examination on May 3. Another official said the hostel owner distributed the paper among students staying at the hostel, claiming it could help them in the exam.

Officials said the hostel owner later alerted local police about the circulation of the question bank among a large number of students. Investigators suspect the material was routed through a person based in Gurugram before reaching Rajasthan. Joint police teams from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur City, Jaipur Rural and the SOG questioned over 150 candidates along with their friends and parents. Sources said the actual leak may have originated from Nashik.

The CBI arrested Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik. Officials said Khairnar was being brought to Delhi after a local court granted the agency his transit remand. The agency also seized several digital devices, including mobile phones and laptops, for forensic examination to trace the circulation of the leaked paper through messaging applications.

Earlier, the CBI visited the NTA headquarters in Delhi and collected documents related to the examination. A CBI team also reached the SOG office late Tuesday evening to formally take over the probe.

The controversy sparked a political slugfest, with opposition leaders alleging links between some of the accused and the BJP. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that accused Dinesh Biwal was associated with the BJP and alleged that the Rajasthan government attempted to suppress the matter by not filing an FIR earlier.

Gehlot shared a photograph on social media purportedly showing Dinesh as BJYM district secretary in Jaipur Rural and questioned whether the BJP government was protecting the “paper leak mafia”. Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad also alleged that two accused persons from Rajasthan had links with BJP leaders and ministers.

Responding to the allegations, BJP state vice president Mukesh Dadhich said Dinesh did not hold any post in the party.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also addressed a press conference and appealed to Gen Z to ensure accountability in the case. Referring to political developments in Bangladesh and Nepal, he said Indian students could similarly force action against those responsible for the paper leak. He also cited several paper leak incidents since 2014 and alleged that many had occurred in BJP-ruled states.