THE first part-cancellation of the NEET-UG exam in 2024 was bad enough. The second, on Tuesday, is criminal. Lakhs of students, after years of relentless preparation, sleepless nights and immense emotional strain, have been told that their career-defining examination stands nullified because the authorities entrusted with safeguarding its integrity failed to protect the sanctity of a “guess paper". Heads must roll for allowing a repetition of this unforgivable scandal. The emotional devastation caused by this fiasco cannot be repaired by announcing revised dates. Every paper leak strengthens criminal syndicates while punishing honest students. There must be transparent investigations, criminal prosecution and administrative accountability.
In 2024, NEET was rocked by allegations of paper leaks, inflated ranks and controversial grace marks. Though the entire exam was not cancelled then, the episode triggered nationwide outrage, judicial scrutiny and promises of reform. The government assured students that safeguards would be strengthened and lessons had been learnt. Instead, the rot has deepened. The cancellation of the 2026 exam proves that the authorities hardly treated the earlier crisis with the seriousness it deserved. The National Testing Agency’s credibility is in tatters. Nor can Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan escape accountability. Such a monumental failure affecting millions of young citizens calls for an overhauling of the entire system of education. The whole cycle of infamy — from coaching classes which practically hold the student’s life to ransom, to large-scale fraud in “guess papers” — must be reimagined.
India needs to break the stranglehold of this magic bullet, three-hour test that decides whether you are worth becoming a doctor or not. The shift to NEET, replacing multiple state and private exams, was intended to create a standardised, merit-based admission process. Clearly, it hasn’t worked. Both babus and politicians must be held responsible for the trauma they have caused 22 lakh children.
