CBI registers FIR in NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case after complaint from education ministry

New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in connection with the alleged paper leak and irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination after receiving a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
According to the CBI, the case has been registered under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
The agency stated that the National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 3, 2026. Subsequently, complaints and intelligence inputs were received alleging that certain documents connected to the examination had been circulated unauthorizedly before the exam was held.
The CBI said the allegations indicate a possible compromise of the sanctity and integrity of the examination process, following which the matter was referred for a detailed central investigation.
The probe agency has now launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the nature and extent of the alleged irregularities and identify all individuals and entities linked to the suspected leak network.
Special CBI teams have been formed and dispatched to various locations across the country to carry out the investigation. Officials are expected to examine digital evidence, communication records and the chain through which the alleged leaked material may have been circulated ahead of the examination.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination, conducted for over 22 lakh aspirants nationwide, was later cancelled after allegations surfaced that a “guess paper” distributed before the exam closely matched several questions from the actual paper.
The investigation is currently focused on identifying the source of the alleged leak and uncovering the larger interstate network involved in the case.