Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said a CBI investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak will occur during a press conference in New Delhi.
The move follows nationwide outrage over the integrity of one of India's most competitive medical entrance exams. A breach of this scale threatens the meritocratic process for thousands of aspiring doctors and undermines public trust in national testing agencies.
Pradhan spoke three days [1] after the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam. During the briefing, he outlined a plan to establish a fresh exam schedule to resolve the current controversy.
"CBI will go deep into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak matter," Pradhan said.
To prevent future leaks, the minister announced a fundamental change to the examination format. The NEET 2027 exam will be conducted using Computer Based Test (CBT) mode [2]. This transition aims to eliminate the vulnerabilities associated with physical question papers, a primary point of failure in the 2026 cycle.
The announcement comes as students and parents have demanded transparency and accountability regarding how the leak occurred. By involving the Central Bureau of Investigation, the government seeks to identify the perpetrators and the systemic gaps that allowed the breach.
Pradhan said the government is committed to ensuring a fair process for all candidates. The shift to CBT is expected to streamline the administration of the test and reduce the window of opportunity for unauthorized access to exam content [2].
“"CBI will go deep into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak matter,"”
The transition to a Computer Based Test for 2027 represents a strategic pivot by the Indian government to digitize high-stakes assessments. By removing physical paper trails, the administration hopes to mitigate the risk of leaks, though this shift will require significant infrastructure scaling to ensure equitable access for students in rural areas.
