'Not A Big Issue: Rajasthan Minister Downplays NEET-UG Cancellation Amid Student Fury

Last Updated:May 13, 2026, 17:50 IST

Rajasthan Minister Madan Dilawar downplayed the NEET-UG cancellation after the alleged paper leak, which affected lakhs of medical aspirants in India.

The aspirations of thousands of medical aspirants were shattered after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination due to a paper leak. However, Rajasthan Minister Madan Dilawar downplayed the situation, saying it was “not a big issue" if irregularities were found.

“The investigating agencies must have found irregularities, so cancelling it is not a big issue. Wherever any wrongdoing is found, the government will work to correct it," Dilawar told reporters after the Centre scrapped the May 3 medical entrance examination and handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

His remarks came after the alleged paper leak triggered a political storm, with Congress leaders accusing the BJP-led government in Rajasthan of suppressing information about the incident to avoid embarrassment.

Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) had claimed that a leaked “guess paper" containing over 400 questions — including all 90 biology questions and all 45 chemistry questions from the actual exam — was sold for Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

Senior Congress leader and former CM Ashok Gehlot alleged that the Rajasthan government had prior information about the paper leak but failed to take timely action. Gehlot claimed he had alerted the state DGP after receiving complaints from students over the circulation of a suspicious “guess paper" ahead of the examination.

He further alleged that the state government attempted to “hide the matter" despite the SOG detaining several suspects during the initial stages of the probe. However, the Rajasthan BJP said the leak did not originate in Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the origins of a guess paper containing questions similar to those asked in NEET-UG 2026 medical exam were traced to a student from Rajasthan’s Sikar pursuing MBBS in Kerala who went on to share it with his friends and a hostel owner, according to news agency PTI.

Another official said the student from Kerala forwarded the guess paper with a hostel owner in Sikar and some of his friends. The hostel owner shared the guess papers to students living in the hostel, saying it could be helpful.

Acting on inputs regarding rumours of a NEET paper leak, joint teams of police from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur City, Jaipur Rural and the SOG questioned more than 150 candidates, along with their friends and parents. A team from the CBI reached late Tuesday evening at the SOG office to take over the investigation.

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