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NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged leak of the NEET UG 2026 question paper, intensifying the nationwide probe into one of the country’s biggest examination controversies in recent years.

The development came hours after the National Testing Agency cancelled the high-stakes medical entrance examination conducted on May 3 following widespread allegations of malpractice and paper leak.

According to officials, the CBI acted swiftly after receiving a formal reference from the Centre and registered a case under criminal conspiracy, cheating, and other related offences.

CBI to collect evidence from Rajasthan SOG

Officials said the agency will soon send a team to Rajasthan to collect documents, digital material and evidence gathered by the Special Operations Group, which had been investigating the matter at the state level.

The Centre has now formally handed over the investigation to the CBI for what officials described as a “comprehensive inquiry” into the alleged leak and related irregularities.

The CBI had earlier investigated and cracked paper leak-related cases connected to NEET 2024 as well.

Nearly 23 lakh students affected.

The cancellation of NEET UG 2026 has impacted nearly 23 lakh candidates who had registered for the examination conducted across India and abroad.

The examination was held in 551 cities within India and at 14 overseas centres under the supervision of the NTA.

The test serves as the gateway to admission into undergraduate medical courses, including MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH programmes.

The abrupt cancellation has triggered widespread anxiety among students and parents, with concerns now growing over delays in admissions, counselling schedules and the academic calendar.

NTA received inputs four days after the exam

According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was first received on the evening of May 7 — four days after the examination had been conducted.

The agency stated that the information was immediately escalated to central authorities the following morning for “independent verification and necessary action”.

Subsequently, following inputs from investigating agencies and mounting concerns over the integrity of the examination process, the government decided to cancel the examination altogether.

Rajasthan SOG claims ‘guess paper’ matched the actual exam

The controversy gained momentum after the Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group claimed that a so-called “guess paper” allegedly circulated among students before the examination closely resembled the actual question paper.

According to the SOG, the chemistry-related guess paper contained nearly 410 questions, of which around 120 reportedly appeared in the actual examination across different question paper sets.

Although the chemistry section of NEET itself carries only 45 questions, the existence of four different paper sets meant that overlapping questions across sets became a serious point of concern for investigators.

Additional Director General of Police, SOG, Vishal Bansal had earlier stated that the alleged guess paper had been circulating among students “well in advance”.

“It is reported that this guess paper had been circulating among students as early as 15 days to a month before the actual examination. We are investigating based on the guess paper, and it is also available in the open domain,” Bansal had said.

Questions over exam integrity

The scandal has once again raised serious questions about the security and integrity of India’s highly competitive entrance examination system.

Education experts say the alleged leak not only undermines merit-based selection but also places immense emotional and psychological stress on genuine candidates who spend years preparing for the examination.

With the CBI now formally taking over the investigation, the focus will shift towards identifying the source of the alleged leak, tracing the circulation network of the question material and determining whether organised rackets or insider involvement played a role.

Meanwhile, lakhs of aspirants continue to await clarity from the NTA regarding the fresh examination schedule and revised admission timeline.