Thiruvananthapuram: Outgoing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday described the allegations surrounding the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak as “extremely serious and condemnable” and demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA) be disbanded.
In a statement, Vijayan said repeated controversies involving question paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET examination were destroying the confidence and aspirations of lakhs of students preparing for the highly competitive medical entrance test.
“The repeated controversies surrounding NEET are extremely serious and unacceptable. Students spend years preparing for the examination with hard work and hope. Such incidents undermine their confidence and future,” he said.
The CPI(M) politburo member alleged that the authorities responsible for ensuring the credibility and security of the examination process had failed in their duty.
Vijayan said this was not the first time that allegations of question paper leaks had emerged after the Centre entrusted the NTA with conducting national-level examinations.
“The NTA should be disbanded, and the responsibility of conducting examinations should be handed back to the respective government agencies as was done earlier,” he said.
Expressing concern over allegations of paper leaks, corruption, and the alleged involvement of coaching mafias, Vijayan stated that such irregularities were depriving students from poor families of fair opportunities despite years of hard work and financial struggles.
He demanded a comprehensive, transparent, and time-bound investigation into the matter and called for exemplary punishment for those found guilty.
“The Centre should urgently intervene to restore the credibility of the examination system. Students’ future should not be turned into an experiment. Entrance examination management should not become a mockery that destroys students’ dreams,” Vijayan added.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3, and reports of a question paper leak subsequently triggered investigations by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Tuesday, the NTA announced the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and said the examination would be reconducted on dates to be announced later.
In a statement, the agency said the decision was taken with the approval of the Government of India to ensure transparency and preserve public trust in the national examination system.
With PTI inputs