NEW DELHI — India's premier medical entrance examination has been compromised for the fifth time in a decade, as evidence of the 2026 NEET question paper leak emerged even as the National Testing Agency told a parliamentary panel that "no breach occurred from our system."
The denial strains credibility. NEET, which determines admission to medical colleges for over 2 million aspirants annually, was previously leaked in 2015, 2016, 2021, and 2024. Each time, officials promised systemic reforms. Each time, the next year's examination was compromised again.
A billion people aren't a statistic—they're a billion stories. For Priya Malhotra, a 17-year-old from Patna who studied 14 hours daily for two years, the leak means her score—earned through exhausting discipline—competes against scores purchased by wealthy families willing to pay lakhs for advance access to questions.
"What is the point of meritocracy if merit can be bought?" Priya asked, her voice breaking. "My father is a schoolteacher. We cannot afford to buy exam papers. I can only afford to study."
The examination leak has become the focal point of the Cockroach Janta Party's campaign demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. The youth movement's petition, reported by India Today, gathered over 246,000 signatures before the government blocked the group's social media account citing national security concerns.
The National Testing Agency's testimony to the parliamentary standing committee, reported by the Times of India, insists the leak occurred outside their systems—implying the breach happened during printing, distribution, or storage of physical question papers.
