Education Minister Accepts NEET Leak, Defends NTA Amid Student Anger

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that the re-examination for NEET UG 2026 will be held on June 21 after the medical entrance exam was cancelled due to a paper leak controversy. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the media for the first time after the incident and admitted that there had been a breach in the examination process. During the press conference, Pradhan stated that the government decided to cancel the exam to ensure that deserving candidates are not affected by unfair practices. He emphasized that the government is committed to protecting students’ futures and announced a major reform: starting next year, the NEET examination will be conducted online to reduce the risk of paper leaks and malpractice. Despite acknowledging the leak, the Education Minister defended the National Testing Agency, saying the agency has successfully conducted hundreds of examinations over the years. He added that the government is introducing several improvements for the re-exam. Students will not have to pay examination fees again, admit cards will be released by June 14, and the exam duration has been increased by 15 minutes. The test will now be held from 2 PM to 5:15 PM. Pradhan also announced a zero-tolerance policy against exam mafias and confirmed that the Central Bureau of Investigation will investigate the paper leak case thoroughly. According to him, strict action will be taken against all individuals involved in the crime. The controversy has triggered strong criticism from opposition parties and legal challenges. A petition has reportedly been filed in the Supreme Court demanding the dissolution of the NTA and requesting that future examinations be conducted under court supervision. A high-level meeting was held at the Education Minister’s residence to review preparations for the re-exam. Senior officials from the education ministry, CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, and NTA participated in the discussions. Following the meeting, the government officially confirmed June 21 as the new examination date, bringing some relief to nearly 2.2 million students affected by the cancellation.