3 min readBengaluruMay 12, 2026 05:53 PM IST
Hours after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the undergraduate National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) following a question paper leak, Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Tuesday demanded the Union education minister’s resignation.
“This is not the first time that a question paper leak or malpractice has happened. It happens every year. If they are not competent enough to conduct the examination, let them allow us to conduct it on our own,” Patil told reporters.
Patil alleged that the NEET paper leak was one of the biggest scams under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
“It is not something done unknowingly. There is a nexus of coaching centres, people at the NTA and the government. They are behind the leak. We have said many times that if they are not confident enough to conduct the examinations, allow us to do it. However, we don’t get any response from them. Students devote 2-3 years to clear NEET,” he added.
Patil said that about 23 lakh students appear for the examination every year and that the central government was playing with their future.
A medical seat aspirant who appeared for NEET in Bengaluru is disappointed at the cancellation of the May 3 exam. “My family had booked tickets for an international trip. But we have to cancel it now. I was confident that I would crack it this time,” he said.
Another student pointed to the disparity in the number of medical seats. “The cutoff in the north is comparatively higher because there are fewer seats there. Some of them cannot reach that potential. I feel like the central government and north indian state governments have joined hands—rather than building more medical colleges in the north, they try to take away the seats in the south,” the student said.
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The student added that they plan to take the examination again and would consider applying for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme if unable to secure an MBBS seat.
NEET question leaks and malpractices so far
2016: The NEET question paper was leaked, leading to the arrests of many persons from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The interstate racket allegedly sold the question paper for Rs 10-40 lakh.
2021: The NEET question paper went viral half an hour before the examination. An 18-year-old candidate and others were arrested.
2024: The NEET question paper was leaked a day before the examination in Patna, Bihar, and more than 36 people were arrested, including some MBBS students.
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2024: NEET PG, scheduled for June 22, was postponed to August 11 after the Union health ministry received information about malpractice including impersonation.
2026: NEET was cancelled after a “guess paper” did the rounds on social media at least two days before the examination. The Rajasthan Police found that around 120 questions in the biology and chemistry sections matched questions from the circulating material.
