A high-level meeting to discuss the ongoing NEET controversy convened at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s official residence on Thursday evening. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office attended the deliberations.

The meeting comes amid continued fallout from the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2025 examination following serious paper leak allegations.

Crisis Management Underway

Sources familiar with the matter said the discussion focused on restoring confidence in the medical entrance examination process and reviewing the steps taken so far by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and investigating agencies. The government is understood to be looking at tighter protocols for future examinations while addressing immediate concerns of students and parents.

This is the latest in a series of high-level reviews since the controversy erupted.

NTA Extends Refund Deadline

In a related development, the NTA extended the deadline for candidates to submit bank account details for fee refunds till 11:50 pm on June 22. The previous deadline was May 27. 

Candidates who appeared for the cancelled examination can log into the official NTA portal using their credentials and update their banking information for the refund process. Officials said the extension was provided to accommodate students facing technical or logistical difficulties.

Timeline of the NEET Row

The NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 international centres, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for it. Irregularities came to light on the evening of May 7, prompting the matter to be handed over to central agencies. The examination was formally cancelled on May 12.

The decision to scrap the test was taken to ensure fairness, though it triggered widespread anxiety among aspirants, many of whom had prepared for years.

Rahul Gandhi Meets Family of Deceased Aspirant

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the family of Pradeep Meghwal, a NEET aspirant from Rajasthan who died by suicide following the paper leak reports. Gandhi held the central government responsible for the tragedy and described it as a failure of the system.

In a post on X, the former Congress president said the death was “not just a suicide but the result of a broken and corrupt system.” He held the “Modi-Pradhan duo” accountable. 

CBI Makes Fresh Arrests

Meanwhile, the investigation into the leak case is progressing. On Wednesday, Rouse Avenue Court remanded two accused — Dr Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah — in CBI custody till June 1. Two others, Prahlad Kulkarni and Shivraj Raghunath Motegaonkar, were sent to judicial custody till June 10. 

The CBI has conducted searches at 49 locations so far and arrested 13 people in connection with the case. Several documents, laptops, and mobile phones have been seized.

Students Await Clarity

The developments have left lakhs of students and their families worried about the future schedule of the re-examination. Many aspirants have demanded a swift and transparent process for the next test, along with stronger safeguards against leaks.

Education authorities have maintained that the integrity of the examination will be upheld at all costs. The NTA is expected to announce fresh dates soon after internal reviews and consultations.

The high-level meeting at Rajnath Singh’s residence signals the government’s urgency to contain the damage and prevent long-term erosion of trust in the country’s competitive examination system. With multiple competitive exams lined up in the coming months, the outcome of these deliberations will be closely watched by students across India.

Following massive nationwide controversy, Union Education Minister clarifies that the NEET UG 2026 re-examination is set for June 21, with a shift to online testing next year

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has formally scheduled the fresh NEET UG 2026 re-examination for June 21, 2026, following the cancellation of the controversial May 3 test over widespread systemic irregularities.  Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also revealed a major policy shift, stating that the medical entrance test will permanently transition to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format starting next year to check future security breaches.

New guidelines for June 21

To handle student anxiety and logistical constraints, the NTA has extended the exam duration by 15 minutes, giving candidates a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The exam will run from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM on Sunday, June 21. Officials close to the matter stated that the registration fee has been completely waived for affected candidates. Fresh admit cards for all eligible medical aspirants are slated to go live for download on the official NTA portal on June 14.

Shifting to an online format

The decision to abandon the traditional pen-and-paper OMR system comes after widespread complaints that physical sheets were the root vulnerability allowing the leaks to happen. Over 22 lakh candidates were affected when the original May 3 test across 5,432 centers was nullified. "NEET will transition to computer-based test mode from next year. OMR sheets are the root cause of the paper leak," the Education Minister stated during a press update.

Immediate impact on medical aspirants

Local coaching centers and student bodies have reacted with mixed emotions to the development. While the absolute clarity on the June 21 date brings relief, preparing for the exact same competitive syllabus under short notice is causing high stress levels across student communities. To aid displaced candidates, the NTA had opened a brief address and city preference correction window. The final results and subsequent medical counseling rounds are tentatively expected to go live in July 2026.

NTA Announces NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Date Following Cancellation

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has scheduled the NEET UG 2026 re-examination for June 21 after the initial May test was scrapped.

In a significant move to restore the integrity of medical entrance evaluations, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday officially announced that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 will be re-conducted on June 21, 2026. The decision follows the dramatic cancellation of the May 3 exam earlier this week amid widespread allegations of paper leaks and institutional irregularities.

The re-exam will be held across the country on a Sunday, aiming to accommodate the over 22 lakh aspirants who find themselves back at the starting line.

High-level meeting precedes announcement

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after a high-stakes review meeting held at the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education and the NTA reportedly deliberated late into Thursday night to finalize a timeline that would minimize the delay in the academic calendar while ensuring foolproof security measures.

The NTA took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning to confirm the schedule. "The National Testing Agency, with approval from the Government of India, has scheduled the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination for Sunday, June 21, 2026," the post read. The agency further urged students and parents to rely strictly on official channels for updates to avoid misinformation.

CBI intensifies paper leak probe

As the NTA prepares for the logistical challenge of a nationwide re-test, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has significantly ramped up its crackdown on the alleged "paper leak mafia." On Thursday, the agency detained five individuals and formally arrested two more suspects believed to be the kingpins of the operation.

Sources close to the investigation indicate that the CBI is now scrutinizing the internal processes of the NTA. Investigators are looking into whether any insiders facilitated the breach or if the leak occurred during the transportation of sensitive materials to exam centers.

Logistical hurdles for 22 lakh students

The cancellation has left over 2.2 million medical aspirants in a state of flux. While some welcome the chance for a fair trial, many are reeling from the mental exhaustion of preparing for one of India's toughest competitive exams twice in two months.

"It's a double-edged sword," said an aspirant from New Delhi. "We are glad the cheaters are being caught, but the heat of June and the pressure of doing it all over again is daunting."

Education experts suggest that the June 21 date provides just enough time for the NTA to overhaul its digital security and set a fresh paper, though it will likely push back the subsequent counseling and admission sessions by several weeks.

Tightened security for June 21

To prevent a repeat of the May 3 debacle, the Education Ministry is expected to implement "multi-layered" security protocols for the re-exam. This may include biometric enhancements at centers and a change in the distribution chain of physical question papers.

The NTA has advised candidates to keep a close watch on the official portal for the release of fresh admit cards and specific guidelines regarding the NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Date.