A letter petition has been submitted before the Supreme Court seeking suo motu intervention into repeated NEET examination leaks, impersonation rackets, and alleged systemic failures within the National Testing Agency (NTA), amid the widening investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.
The petition, addressed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, urged the apex court to order a court-monitored investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the latest controversy surrounding the national medical entrance examination.
Filed by Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN), and social activist Harisharan Devgan through advocate Satyam Singh, the plea argued that repeated paper leaks, solver gangs, impersonation scams, cybersecurity lapses, and administrative failures have "fundamentally compromised" the credibility and transparency of national-level entrance examinations.
The petition also demanded the replacement of the NTA with an "independent, transparent, and professionally regulated National Examination Authority" equipped with statutory accountability, judicial oversight, and advanced technological safeguards.
Referring to controversies linked to NEET-UG 2024, NEET-UG 2026, and JEE Main 2021, the plea alleged that examination security systems had repeatedly collapsed despite earlier judicial scrutiny, criminal investigations, and expert committee recommendations.
It cited parliamentary disclosures made by the Union Ministry of Education in the Rajya Sabha in March 2025, stating that the CBI had already filed five charge sheets against 45 accused persons in connection with the NEET-UG 2024 paper theft case.
According to the petition, recurring leaks have destroyed public confidence in the examination system and undermined the constitutional guarantee of equality and fair opportunity under Articles 14 and 21.
"The recurring paper leaks have created an environment where deserving students increasingly believe that merit and hard work alone are insufficient to secure success in national examinations," the plea stated.
The petition further sought the formation of a high-level committee comprising retired judges, cybersecurity experts, educationists, and administrative experts to recommend structural reforms for conducting secure national-level examinations.
It also demanded the implementation of encrypted digital paper transmission systems, biometric verification mechanisms, stronger cybersecurity protocols, and fast-track prosecution against individuals, coaching centres, and officials allegedly involved in organised cheating networks.
NTA cancels NEET-UG 2026 examination
The plea comes days after the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 for more than 22 lakh candidates across the country.
In an official statement, the NTA said "the present examination process could not be allowed to stand" after investigative agencies flagged serious concerns regarding the integrity of the examination process.
The agency also confirmed that the matter had been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry.
Investigators have alleged that a "model question paper", allegedly prepared using the leaked original paper, was circulated through Telegram and WhatsApp groups across several states, including Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
According to officials, the leaked paper was allegedly sold to students for amounts ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh.
CBI gets transit custody of accused Shubham Khairnar
Meanwhile, the CBI on Wednesday produced Shubham Khairnar, arrested in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, before Mumbai's Killa Court, which granted the agency two days of transit custody.
Officials said Khairnar would be produced before a Delhi court on Thursday as investigators continue to trace the wider network allegedly involved in the nationwide leak.
During the hearing, the CBI informed the court that several accomplices linked to the conspiracy were yet to be identified and questioned, making custodial interrogation necessary.
Shubham Khairnar, a 30-year-old Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) student from Nashik, was detained on Tuesday while reportedly on his way to a temple.
Investigators alleged that he attempted to evade arrest by altering his appearance and cutting his hair. However, officials identified him through older photographs and technical surveillance inputs gathered during the probe.
According to the CBI, Khairnar allegedly purchased the leaked NEET-UG paper from a Pune-based accused for Rs 10 lakh and later sold it to a buyer in Haryana for Rs 15 lakh, earning a profit of Rs 5 lakh.
The investigation initially began in Maharashtra's Nashik after the first digital copy of the leaked question paper allegedly surfaced there before spreading rapidly to multiple states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and Kerala.
The CBI is continuing its probe to identify the full network behind the leak and determine the scale of the alleged organised examination scam.
