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Alakh Pandey, founder and CEO of Physics Wallah, sharply criticised the National Testing Agency after the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over allegations of a question paper leak, saying that “even schools manage exams better” than the current system.

Reacting to the controversy, Alakh Pandey highlighted the emotional and financial pressure faced by medical aspirants and their families during NEET preparation. He said many students dedicate two to three years exclusively to the examination, often sacrificing social life, academic flexibility and personal well-being. According to him, entire families invest heavily in the dream of securing a medical seat, with some parents reportedly making financial sacrifices to support coaching, books and preparation expenses.

Pandey said the alleged paper leak had deeply shaken students’ trust in the examination system. Referring to reports that some candidates may have accessed the full paper in advance after paying large sums of money, he questioned how honest students could continue to believe in the fairness of the process. He also criticised the NTA’s claims regarding examination security, remarking that incidents of school-level paper leaks are far less common despite fewer resources.

The remarks came as the Central Bureau of Investigation launched a formal inquiry into alleged irregularities surrounding NEET-UG 2026. The investigation was initiated after the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education filed a written complaint seeking a detailed probe into the conduct of the medical entrance examination.

In an official statement, the CBI confirmed that it had registered a First Information Report (FIR) under charges including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft, destruction of evidence and provisions of the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024. Special investigation teams have reportedly been deployed across multiple states to investigate the scale of the suspected malpractice and identify any organised networks involved in leaking question papers or manipulating the examination process.

Officials said the investigation would examine both the “nature and extent” of the alleged irregularities, though the agency has not yet revealed how many individuals are under scrutiny or which states are part of the ongoing probe.

The controversy has triggered nationwide outrage among students, parents and educators after the government cancelled NEET-UG 2026 over concerns about the integrity of the examination. With nearly 23 lakh students appearing for NEET annually, the incident has once again intensified concerns about the credibility and security of India’s high-stakes entrance examination system.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Singh, Director General of the National Testing Agency, announced that all examination fees paid by candidates would be refunded. He also confirmed that a fresh examination would be conducted without any additional fee for students. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Singh said the decision to cancel the exam was taken because even the “slightest doubt” regarding fairness could not be ignored.

CBSE Board Class 12 Result 2026 declared today, May 13, 2026 and over 18.57 lakh students can finally check their CBSE 12th scorecard. The Central Board of Secondary Education announced an overall pass percentage of 85.20%, down 3.9% compared to last year’s CBSE Class 12 results. This year’s All India Senior School Certificate Examination, AISSCE 2026, saw students from 19,967 schools and 7,573 exam centers appear across 120 subjects.

CBSE 12th Result 2026 direct link is now live at http://cbseresults.nic.in and http://cbse.gov.in. Students can also download verified digital marksheets instantly through DigiLocker and the UMANG app. For Google searches: “CBSE 12 result 2026 link”, “cbseresults.nic.in Class 12”, “CBSE 12th scorecard 2026 download”, and “DigiLocker CBSE marksheet” are trending right now.

This year marks the first time CBSE used the OSM system for CBSE 12th Result 2026. OSM, or Online Subject Marking, replaced physical answer sheets with digital scans. The shift means post-result processes like marks verification, photocopy of answer sheets, and re-evaluation will be processed much faster. Instead of days to locate a physical booklet, OSM uses a unique digital ID to retrieve scanned scripts instantly. Applications for CBSE post-result activities open on http://cbse.gov.in after result declaration.

OSM also brought major accountability upgrades. Over 88,000 computers and 6,000+ evaluation centers with 70,000 evaluators recorded every examiner action in a digital audit trail. The system auto-calculates total marks, eliminating totalling errors that plagued manual marking, and blocks submission until every question is evaluated.

CBSE Class 12 Supplementary Exam 2026 is set for July 15, 2026. Around 1,63,800 students, or 9.26% of total candidates, have been placed in the compartment category, up from 7.63% last year.

For CBSE 12 rechecking, revaluation, and supplementary exam schedule, visit http://cbse.gov.in under Post Result Activities.

The massive leak of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper was allegedly uncovered after a hostel owner in Rajasthan’s coaching hub of Sikar noticed striking similarities between a circulated “guess paper” and the actual medical entrance examination held on May 3.

According to reports, the chain of events began late on May 2 when an MBBS student from Sikar, currently studying in Kerala, allegedly sent a PDF file containing the so-called “guess paper” to his father through WhatsApp. The student’s father runs a hostel for coaching aspirants in Sikar, one of India’s largest centres for NEET and competitive exam preparation.

Since the MBBS student was no longer appearing for NEET himself, he reportedly suggested that the material could help students staying at the hostel. However, by the time the PDF arrived, four girls residing at the hostel and appearing for the examination had already left for their exam centres.

Curious about the authenticity of the document, the hostel owner allegedly forwarded the PDF to a local chemistry teacher. After the examination concluded, the teacher reportedly compared the questions from the “guess paper” with the actual NEET question paper and found that 45 out of 108 chemistry questions matched exactly.

Alarmed by the similarities, the hostel owner and teacher then consulted a biology faculty member. Together, they allegedly discovered that nearly 90 out of 204 biology questions were also identical to those in the actual exam. In total, around 135 questions were said to have matched the original paper, raising immediate suspicions of a large-scale leak.

The hostel owner and the chemistry teacher reportedly approached local police in Sikar with their findings. However, according to reports, police initially declined to register a case, expressing concern that complaints filed after the examination could raise questions about the complainants’ intentions.

The matter was later escalated directly to the National Testing Agency (NTA) through email. The NTA subsequently alerted the Intelligence Bureau and asked Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) to investigate the allegations on May 8.

Investigators later verified the timeline and communication trail through the hostel owner’s phone records and WhatsApp chats, according to reports. The probe soon widened beyond Rajasthan and uncovered an alleged interstate network linked to the paper leak.

The investigation reportedly traced the chain from Sikar to Haryana and eventually to Nashik. Authorities allege that two brothers from Jamwaramgarh near Jaipur played a role in distributing the paper before investigators identified a first-year Ayurveda student in Haryana accused of selling the leaked material to aspirants in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

The probe later reached Maharashtra, where investigators allegedly recovered a physical copy of the “guess paper” from a Nashik-based student identified as Shubham Khairnar.

Following the controversy and nationwide outrage, the NTA cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination and announced that the test would be reconducted on revised dates. The agency clarified that candidates would not need to register again or pay additional fees, and all existing applications would remain valid.

The alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper has triggered one of the biggest examination scandals in recent years, with investigators uncovering a multi-state network that reportedly sold the paper for Rs 30 lakh nearly a week before the medical entrance examination was conducted.

According to investigators, the leak trail began on April 26, when two brothers from Rajasthan’s Jamwa Ramgarh — Mangilal and Dinesh Biwal — allegedly obtained the NEET paper from a doctor based in Gurugram. The doctor has now emerged as a key figure in the ongoing probe led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG).

Authorities claim the brothers paid nearly Rs 30 lakh for the paper before circulating it through personal and coaching-linked networks. One of the brothers allegedly first shared the paper with his son, who was preparing for NEET in Sikar, a major coaching hub in Rajasthan.

Within days, the paper reportedly entered a larger distribution chain involving middlemen, students, hostel operators, and counselling agents. Investigators allege that Rakesh Kumar Mandawariya, an MBBS counselling agent operating near coaching institutes in Sikar, purchased the leaked paper and further distributed it to candidates across multiple states.

The leak allegedly spread rapidly through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, eventually reaching more than 700 students in Rajasthan, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. The paper was reportedly sold both digitally and in printed form.

A key breakthrough in the investigation came after a student studying MBBS in Kerala allegedly forwarded the paper to his father, who operated a postgraduate hostel in Sikar. The message reportedly instructed him to distribute the material to hostel residents, claiming it would appear in the next day’s examination. After students noticed similarities between the circulated questions and the actual exam, suspicions intensified.

Investigators are now probing a possible printing press link in Nashik, where authorities detained a suspect believed to be connected to the leak chain. Rajasthan Police sources suspect the paper may have moved from a Nashik printing facility through Haryana before reaching the Biwal brothers in Jamwa Ramgarh.

The investigation has also revealed that some accused allegedly knew weeks in advance that the paper would be leaked. One of the brothers is reportedly linked to a political party, while several members of their extended family had cleared NEET in previous years, further deepening suspicion.

Following nationwide outrage, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the May 3 examination and said fresh dates would be announced within seven to ten days. The CBI has registered an FIR under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, destruction of evidence, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024.

Students and parents across the country have sharply criticised the handling of the examination process, with many demanding that All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi be entrusted with conducting future NEET examinations to restore public confidence in the system.

Amid rising numbers of postgraduate medical candidates across India, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued an advisory urging medical colleges and institutions to support the conduct of National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) practical examinations by providing adequate infrastructure, clinical material, and qualified examiners.

The advisory, issued by the NMC’s Postgraduate Medical Education Board, highlighted growing concerns over the shortage of examination centres and delays in the availability of faculty members for examiner duties. Authorities warned that the increasing number of NBEMS candidates has significantly strained existing examination capacity, creating challenges in conducting postgraduate and postdoctoral practical exams on schedule.

According to the directive, government medical colleges and teaching institutions have been asked to facilitate NBEMS examinations “within administrative feasibility” by making available wards, laboratories, patients, and other essential infrastructure required for practical assessments. Institutions were also instructed to promptly release eligible faculty members nominated for examiner responsibilities to avoid delays in examination processes.

The NMC stressed that institutional cooperation is critical to maintaining the quality, credibility, and timely conduct of postgraduate medical education in the country. The commission noted that NBEMS practical examinations play a crucial role in certification and career progression for postgraduate medical students, and any disruption could directly affect graduating candidates.

The advisory further clarified that NBEMS provides financial compensation to examination centres for operational expenses and approved remuneration to examiners participating in the process. Institutions have also been asked to coordinate closely with NBEMS to ensure smooth examination management.

Medical education authorities warned that if shortages of examination centres and examiners continue, scheduling practical examinations may become increasingly difficult in the coming years, potentially delaying postgraduate qualifications and impacting healthcare workforce readiness.

The NMC described the move as being in the larger academic and public interest, aimed at strengthening India’s postgraduate medical examination infrastructure and ensuring that standards of medical training are not compromised despite the growing demand.,

In a major move aimed at increasing transparency and reducing financial pressure on families, the government of Bihar has introduced strict regulations for private schools regarding fee structures, uniforms, books, and stationery sales.

Announcing the decision on social media platform X, Samrat Choudhary said the reforms are designed to ensure accountability in private educational institutions and protect the interests of students and parents.

Under the new rules, all private schools in Bihar will now be required to publicly display complete details of their fee structures, including tuition, annual, and transport charges. The government said the step is intended to curb arbitrary fee hikes, after repeated complaints from parents that some schools were increasing fees by nearly 10 per cent every year without clear justification.

Officials have also been instructed to closely monitor private educational institutions to ensure compliance with the guidelines. The Bihar government warned that any violation of the directives could invite strict administrative action.

In another significant relief for parents, schools will no longer be permitted to compel families to purchase books, uniforms, or stationery from specific vendors or authorised shops. Parents can now buy these materials from any store of their choice, ending a long-standing practice that often increased educational expenses.

The government said the measure would help reduce unnecessary financial burdens on families, particularly those who were forced to purchase costly school materials through campus-linked sellers.

The reforms also include provisions aimed at protecting students from punitive action over unpaid fees. Schools will not be allowed to stop students from appearing in examinations or withhold results solely because of pending fee payments, according to the new directives.

The Bihar government described the reforms as a step toward creating a more transparent, student-friendly, and accountable education system across the state.