The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday officially announced the revised date for the re-examination of NEET (UG) 2026 following the cancellation of the earlier exam amid the paper leak controversy. The NTA, with the approval of the Government of India, has scheduled the re-examination of NEET (UG) 2026 on Sunday, 21 June 2026. Candidates and parents are requested to rely only on the official channels of NTA.
The NTA further added that the candidates must carefully verify all details entered in the application form before making the fee payment, as no changes will be allowed later. The NTA also added that only those candidates who have successfully paid the fee will be treated as having completed the application process. Candidates have also been advised to regularly check the official website — ugcnet.nta.nic.in — for updates related to the examination.
NTA advises candidates to complete application process before May 20
The NTA also advised the candidates appearing for the UGC-NET June 2026 examination to complete their application process before the registration portal closes on May 20, 2026 at 11:50 p.m. Moreover, the candidates who are yet to submit their registration forms have been asked to fill out the online application, pay the prescribed examination fee, and download the confirmation page for future reference.
The announcement from the NTA comes comes after weeks of uncertainty for nearly lakhs of medical aspirants who were under stress due to allegations of question paper leaks and irregularities. The controversy also raised serious concerns regarding the credibility and security of one of India’s largest entrance examinations.
Key updates on NEET registration, admit card
As per NTA, no fresh registration required for re-NEET. The registration data, candidature, and examination centres opted for in the May 2026 cycle will be carried forward to the re-conducted examination. No fresh registration will be required, and no additional examination fee will be levied. In addition, fees already paid, will be refunded to the students and the exam will be re-conducted using NTA’s internal resources, NTA in a post on X mentioned. The NEET admit card will be issued fresh for re-exam. NEET admit card is available for download on the website - neet.nta.nic.in, once released.
NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled on May 12
NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3, was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 following allegations of a coordinated paper leak. The exam, considered the country's largest undergraduate medical entrance test, was held across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, covering more than 5,400 centres and involving over 22 lakh candidates.
The matter is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which registered an FIR under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and destruction of evidence, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act, 2024.
Delhi court grants 7 days CBI custody to five accused
Meanwhile, a Delhi court recently granted seven days' CBI custody of five accused arrested in connection with the alleged paper leak case. The accused include Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Shubham Khairnar and Yash Yadav.
MK Stalin urges PM Modi to exempt NEET for 2026–2027 academic year
Earlier in the day, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promulgate an Ordinance to amend section 14 of NMC Act, 2019, to exempt NEET for 2026–2027 academic year. The Centre should also allow the state governments to admit students based on the marks obtained in the qualifying examination, he said.
He expressed "deep concern and urgency over repeated failures, systemic vulnerabilities, and growing public distrust" surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, particularly in light of the shocking cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following a massive nationwide paper leak.
"The recent cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 has once again exposed the deep structural flaws inherent in a highly centralised examination system," Stalin said in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister.
The examination, conducted on May 3, was cancelled after a "guess paper" containing over 400 questions, including substantial matches exceeding 120 questions in Biology and Chemistry, circulated widely across WhatsApp and Telegram groups before the examination, he said.
Reports suggest that the leak originated in Nashik, Maharashtra, spread through Haryana, was printed and distributed in Rajasthan districts, including Sikar, Jaipur, and Jamwa Ramgarh, and eventually reached candidates in Bihar, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and several other states.
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NEET UG 2026 cancelled over paper leak allegations; Centre orders CBI probe
