NEW DELHI—The controversy surrounding India's NEET-UG 2026 medical entrance examination continued on Wednesday despite repeated government denials of fresh allegations of irregularities, with opposition parties and student groups pressing for greater accountability while the federal government defended the integrity of the revised examination process.
The dispute follows the cancellation of the original May 3 examination after allegations of irregularities prompted a federal investigation and a nationwide re-examination, a move the government said was necessary to safeguard the credibility of the country's largest medical entrance test. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has since declared the results of the re-examination and issued multiple public notices addressing complaints and misinformation.
In recent days, the NTA rejected allegations of discrepancies in candidates' scorecards and OMR answer sheets, saying it had reviewed individual representations and found official records to be consistent. The agency also warned against the circulation of fabricated or AI-generated documents and urged candidates to rely only on official communications.
Earlier, the NTA dismissed claims that the June 21 re-examination paper had been leaked, describing a viral social media video as false and warning that legal action could be taken against those responsible for spreading misinformation. India's Press Information Bureau's fact-check unit also rejected the claims.
The issue nevertheless remained politically charged as opposition lawmakers demanded a parliamentary debate and sought a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that concerns over examination transparency had not been fully addressed. Government ministers said they were prepared to discuss the matter in Parliament while rejecting accusations that they had failed to respond to students' concerns.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government was committed to reforming the examination system and addressing concerns raised by students while criticizing what he described as attempts to politicize the issue. Reuters reported that the government had pledged reforms amid growing public pressure over repeated examination controversies.
NEET-UG serves as the single national entrance examination for undergraduate medical admissions in India and is taken by roughly two million candidates annually for a limited number of seats. The latest official status remains that the re-examination results have been published, the government's investigation into the original irregularities is continuing, and Parliament is expected to take up discussion of the controversy.
