From Vyapam To NEET 2026: A Look At Major Medical Exam Paper Leak Controversies Over The Years | Education and Career News
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The scrutiny over NEET-UG 2026 has revived attention on other medical entrance exam controversies, including the Vyapam scam, and the NEET-UG 2024 row.
A file photo of students protesting over NEET paper leak (PTI)
Fresh allegations surrounding the ongoing NEET-UG 2026 examination have brought some past paper leak controversies into focus.
With the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) currently probing claims that a “guess paper” circulating before the exam allegedly matched several questions in the actual paper, concerns over the integrity of competitive examinations have resurfaced.
Meanwhile, the Centre has cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 and announced that the country’s biggest undergraduate medical entrance test will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately.
Over the years, several entrance examinations, particularly those linked to medical admissions, have faced allegations of leaks, organised cheating rackets, impersonation networks and manipulation of answer sheets.
Here is a look at some of the major controversies reported over the years.
2013: VYAPAM SCAM EXPOSED MASSIVE EXAM RACKET
One of the biggest examination scandals emerged in 2013 through the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh.
The scam involved the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, popularly known as Vyapam, and exposed a large network of middlemen, officials, students and impersonators accused of rigging entrance examinations, including medical entrance tests.
According to reports, the scale of the scam became public after Indore Police arrested 20 people on the night of July 6 and 7, 2013.
Seventeen of them were allegedly impersonators from Uttar Pradesh who had come to appear in the PMT examination on behalf of actual candidates.
Investigators later uncovered a racket involving bribery, proxy candidates and manipulation of examination systems.
Following the arrests, a detailed investigation was launched.
Over the years, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and multiple officials, students and middlemen were arrested.
The Vyapam case eventually became one of the most talked-about recruitment and examination scandals in the country.
2016: NEET-II PAPER LEAK ALLEGATIONS
In 2016, allegations surfaced regarding a possible leak of the NEET-II examination paper.
Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court seeking a retest and an investigation into the alleged leak.
Petitioners claimed that question papers had been circulated before the examination. However, the authority denied any leak and said the seized material did not match the original question paper.
The Supreme Court declined to directly monitor the investigation and allowed the local police probe to continue. Unlike the 2015 AIPMT case, the examination was not cancelled.
2020-2021: IMPERSONATION AND SOLVER GANG CASES
Several states reported cases involving impersonation rackets and “solver gangs” during NEET examinations in 2020 and 2021.
Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan saw arrests linked to candidates allegedly appearing through proxies or using forged identities.
Multiple reports at the time highlighted investigations into organised cheating networks that allegedly arranged fake candidates, manipulated biometric systems or supplied answers electronically.
While these cases did not always involve confirmed question paper leaks, they exposed vulnerabilities in exam conduct and verification systems.
Tamil Nadu, in particular, had earlier witnessed a major impersonation scandal in medical admissions linked to NEET, where students allegedly used proxy candidates to write exams.
Multiple arrests were later made in the case.
2024: BURNT PAPERS, ARRESTS AND CBI PROBE
The NEET-UG 2024 controversy became the most significant scandal linked to the examination in recent years.
Bihar Police recovered remains of burnt question papers during the investigation into the alleged leak network.
The report also mentioned that post-dated cheques and financial transactions were being examined as investigators probed claims that candidates had paid large sums for access to the paper.
The controversy later expanded into a nationwide issue, leading to a CBI probe, Supreme Court hearings and arrests across multiple states.
The CBI eventually arrested key accused persons allegedly involved in stealing and circulating the paper.
The Supreme Court observed during hearings that a leak had indeed taken place, though it later declined to order a complete re-examination for all candidates.
2025: ACTION AGAINST STUDENTS OVER “UNFAIR PRACTICES”
In 2025, amid continuing investigations into the 2024 scandal, the government initiated action against more than 250 MBBS students and aspirants allegedly linked to unfair practices connected to NEET-UG.
The accused were allegedly involved in activities such as solving leaked question papers, impersonation and other examination malpractices.
The action was part of the broader crackdown following the 2024 controversy.
2024: NEET-UG CONTROVERSY TRIGGERED NATIONWIDE OUTRAGE
The biggest controversy linked specifically to NEET erupted in 2024 after allegations of paper leaks, organised cheating and irregularities surfaced following the examination conducted on May 5, 2024.
As per media reports and subsequent investigations, Patna Police registered an FIR on the day of the examination after receiving information about a possible paper leak racket.
Authorities arrested multiple individuals, including candidates allegedly linked to the network.
Reports stated that some aspirants were allegedly charged between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 50 lakh to gain access to the question paper before the examination.
The case later expanded beyond Bihar.
Investigators traced links to Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, where the question paper was allegedly accessed from a school’s strong room before the examination.
According to details cited in court proceedings and media reports, the accused persons allegedly entered the strong room, photographed the paper and resealed the packet.
The controversy intensified after NEET-UG 2024 results were declared earlier than expected, and several students scored unusual marks such as 718 and 719, which triggered widespread public scrutiny.
The unusually high number of perfect scores also raised questions among students and coaching institutes.
The NEET-UG 2024 controversy eventually reached the Supreme Court, where multiple petitions sought cancellation of the examination and a re-test.
During hearings in July 2024, the Supreme Court observed that the “sanctity” of the examination had been affected and acknowledged that a paper leak had indeed taken place.
However, the court also examined whether the leak was widespread enough to warrant cancellation of the entire examination.
The Central Bureau of Investigation later took over the probe.
Media reports said the CBI arrested several accused, including school officials, MBBS students and alleged masterminds connected to the leak network.
On July 23, 2024, the Supreme Court declined to order a complete re-examination, observing that while there was evidence of a leak benefiting certain candidates, there was insufficient proof of a systemic nationwide compromise affecting the entire exam process.
NTA FACED QUESTIONS OVER EXAM CONDUCT
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET, repeatedly denied allegations of a widespread paper leak in the initial stages of the controversy.
The agency maintained that the examination process remained secure and that isolated incidents should not be interpreted as evidence of a nationwide compromise.
However, the controversy led to intense political debate, protests by students and demands for reforms in examination systems.
Questions were also raised over examination logistics, transportation of question papers, security protocols and monitoring mechanisms.
The issue eventually became part of a larger national discussion around the credibility of competitive examinations in India.
2026: FRESH ALLEGATIONS REVIVE OLD CONCERNS
Now, with NEET-UG 2026 under investigation over allegations linked to a “guess paper” allegedly matching parts of the Chemistry section, concerns over recurring examination irregularities have resurfaced once again.
Rajasthan SOG is probing the matter, while the NTA has said the exam was conducted under “full security protocol” and that the allegations are being examined by central agencies.
Although investigators have clarified that the current probe is still at a preliminary stage, the controversy has revived memories of previous examination scandals and renewed calls for stricter safeguards, tighter digital monitoring and stronger accountability mechanisms in high-stakes entrance examinations across the country.
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