NEW DELHI/SHIMLA: The arrest of two teachers — Manisha from Pune and another accused from Delhi — by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the explosive NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case has blown the lid off what is now being described as a deep-rooted examination racket allegedly flourishing under the nose of the National Testing Agency.
The sensational revelations have triggered nationwide outrage, with mounting allegations that the NTA — a body registered under the Cooperative Society Act — has failed to safeguard one of the country’s most crucial examinations, shaking the confidence of over 22 lakh aspirants and their families.
According to sources the arrested teachers, experts in biology and botany, allegedly had access to sensitive question papers and examination-related inputs through insider channels linked to the NTA ecosystem.
Investigators suspect that select questions were leaked in advance, shared with targeted candidates through WhatsApp groups and coaching networks shortly before the examination.
The alleged leak has once again put the spotlight on the functioning of the NTA, already facing criticism over repeated controversies, technical glitches, lack of transparency and alleged irregularities in national-level examinations.
The United Doctors Front, which has already moved the Supreme Court of India seeking the scrapping of the NTA, launched a blistering attack on the agency, calling the latest revelations “a collapse of the nation’s examination credibility.”
UDF leaders alleged that the Centre committed a “historic blunder” by entrusting such a sensitive examination system to what they termed a non-statutory body lacking parliamentary accountability.
The organisation has demanded that the NTA be dissolved and replaced with an independent statutory examination authority constituted through an Act of Parliament to restore public faith in the NEET examination process.
“This examination decides the future conscience keepers of the medical profession".
If the sanctity of NEET itself is compromised, the entire healthcare system stands threatened,” UDF representatives said while demanding a court-monitored probe into the alleged nexus.
The arrests have intensified fears that the paper leak may be far bigger than initially believed, with investigators now probing possible links between coaching syndicates, insiders and examination experts operating across multiple states.
Even as the CBI tightens its investigation, anger continues to simmer among students and parents, many of whom have demanded criminal action against all those involved in what is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest education scandals in recent years.
