The Indian government has ordered a tightly secured resit of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students after a devastating paper leak scandal compromised the results of thousands of aspiring doctors. Sources confirm that the original NEET exam, held on 7 May, was allegedly accessed by a rogue network of officials and private tutors who sold copies of the question paper for sums as high as 1.5 million rupees.
Uncovered documents show that the leak originated from a printing press in the state of Jharkhand, where security protocols were ignored as staff smuggled out digital copies. The repercussions have been seismic: a Central Bureau of Investigation probe is underway, and at least 20 people have been arrested, including a senior official from the National Testing Agency. The resit, scheduled for the first week of August, will deploy biometric verification and encrypted digital question papers delivered directly to exam centres.
Yet critics argue that the damage is done: thousands of students who prepared honestly now face a second exam, their futures hanging on a system that failed them once. The scandal has also ignited a broader debate about the corruption endemic in India's educational infrastructure, where private coaching centres wield immense influence and the stakes are life and death for millions of young people.