Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak as a "ghor paap" (grave sin) and assured that such an incident must never happen again. Speaking at the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting, he said the government took immediate action after the paper leak came to light. He stated that all those involved had been arrested and said that 13 accused are currently in custody.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government acted quickly after the NEET paper leak surfaced. He said 13 accused were arrested and sent to jail. He added that the government decided to conduct a fresh NEET examination to protect the future of medical aspirants. The re-examination was completed successfully, and the results were declared on time.

Rijiju said the government's swift response aimed to ensure that such incidents do not take place again. Referring to the Prime Minister's remarks, he said the Prime Minister had called for the strictest possible punishment for those involved in the paper leak. He said strong action against the accused would act as a warning and help protect the credibility of public examinations.

The remarks came as the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions related to the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The petitioners have demanded the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and have also sought a CBI investigation into the alleged leak. The controversy had already led to the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 12 after serious concerns emerged over the integrity of the test.

The controversy began after the NTA released the provisional answer key on May 6. Soon after, several students and coaching institutes claimed that a "guess paper" closely matched the actual examination paper. The claims raised serious doubts about the fairness of the exam. Investigators later alleged that a handwritten question bank had circulated before the examination, especially in Rajasthan.

The NTA referred allegations of malpractice from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand to central agencies for further investigation. The Rajasthan Police claimed that more than 400 questions had leaked before the examination. According to investigators, 135 of those questions matched the final question paper. The investigation led to several arrests, while authorities also questioned multiple suspects as part of the probe.

Following the cancellation of the examination, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that a fresh NEET-UG examination would be conducted. The re-examination took place on June 21. The NTA later declared the results. A total of 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and other allied courses across the country.

The announcement of the re-examination results triggered another round of controversy. Several candidates from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh alleged discrepancies in their scores. Some students also claimed that their OMR sheets did not match their responses. The complaints led to fresh demands for an investigation into the evaluation process.

The National Testing Agency rejected all allegations related to score discrepancies and OMR sheet mismatches. The agency said its evaluation process remained secure and reliable. It also warned students and the public about fake and AI-generated OMR sheets circulating online. The NTA issued case-specific clarifications and dismissed claims of OMR swaps and score manipulation.

The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has sparked a nationwide debate on the security of competitive examinations. With legal proceedings continuing in the Supreme Court and multiple investigations underway, the issue remains a major concern for lakhs of students and their families. The government's latest assurance of strict action and stronger safeguards now comes under close public scrutiny as authorities work to restore trust in the examination system.