Addressing the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting, PM Modi said the government acted swiftly after the leak surfaced, leading to arrests and a nationwide re-examination. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the June 21 re-test was conducted to protect students’ futures.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi: Breaking his silence on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the leak as a “ghor paap” (grave sin) and called for the strictest possible punishment for everyone involved, asserting that the government had acted swiftly to protect the integrity of the examination.
Addressing the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting, Modi said the government moved quickly after the leak surfaced, leading to the arrest of all those allegedly involved. According to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, 13 accused have been arrested and are currently in judicial custody.
The Prime Minister stressed that stringent action against the accused would serve as a deterrent against future examination frauds. He also urged state governments to work closely with the Centre to ensure the credibility and fairness of public recruitment and entrance examinations.
“The Prime Minister has called for the strictest possible punishment for those involved,” Rijiju told reporters after the meeting. He added that the Centre had acted promptly by ordering a re-examination on June 21, ensuring that students’ academic futures were not compromised. The results of the re-test were declared on schedule.
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How the NEET-UG 2026 Row Unfolded
The controversy erupted after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released the provisional answer key on May 6, prompting allegations from students and coaching institutes that a widely circulated “guess paper” bore an uncanny resemblance to the actual examination.
Investigations later uncovered evidence of a handwritten question bank allegedly being circulated before the exam, particularly in Rajasthan. Rajasthan Police claimed that more than 400 questions had been leaked in advance, with 135 questions allegedly matching those that eventually appeared in the examination.
The NTA subsequently referred suspected malpractice cases from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand to central investigating agencies, resulting in multiple arrests.
Amid mounting concerns over the integrity of the examination process, the Centre cancelled the May 12 NEET-UG examination. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan later announced a nationwide re-examination, which was conducted on June 21.
Approximately 11.21 lakh candidates qualified in the re-test for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied health science courses across the country.
Fresh Controversies After Re-Exam
Even after the re-examination, the controversy has refused to die down. Several candidates from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have alleged discrepancies in their scores and mismatches in their OMR sheets.
The NTA has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that its evaluation process is robust and secure. It has also cautioned students against relying on fake or AI-generated OMR sheets circulating on social media.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear petitions seeking the dissolution of the NTA and a court-monitored CBI investigation into the paper leak.
PM Modi’s remarks mark his first public intervention on the issue and are being viewed as the government’s strongest political message yet that those responsible for compromising one of India’s largest entrance examinations will face severe legal consequences, while efforts will continue to restore public confidence in the country’s competitive examination system.
