JAIPUR: Rajasthan, already facing criticism over repeated examination paper leaks, is once again under scrutiny after allegations of a possible leak in NEET 2026, the country’s medical entrance examination.
The controversy intensified after the emergence of a purported “guess paper,” which is now at the centre of an investigation by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG).
According to SOG ADG Vishal Bansal, investigators found that questions carrying nearly 600 out of the total 720 marks allegedly reached students in Sikar two days before the examination. The alleged 150-page “question bank” contained 410 handwritten questions from Physics, Chemistry and Biology, of which 120 reportedly appeared verbatim in the actual NEET examination. Each question carries four marks.
Investigators said the question bank had circulated among aspirants in Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu nearly a month before the examination. People linked to WhatsApp groups through which the material was allegedly shared are being questioned. Officials said all questions in the document were handwritten.
Preliminary findings suggest the material reached Sikar through an MBBS student studying in Kerala. Sources claimed the document was sold for Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Investigators said the material first came into the possession of a youth running an educational consultancy in Sikar and was later distributed at student hostels, e-Mitra centres and photocopy shops.
The SOG has questioned more than a dozen youths and identified several suspects. After the examination, a PG operator in Sikar filed a complaint with the Udyog Nagar Police Station and the National Testing Agency (NTA), alleging that students had received a suspicious “question bank.” The complainant admitted forwarding the material to students staying at his facility and to career counsellors.
ADG Bansal said, "The SOG is conducting a thorough investigation into this entire network and that strict action would be taken against those who compromised the confidentiality of recruitment examinations, and no accused individual would be spared." He added that the investigation is progressing and more revelations are expected.
Investigators have also found indications that the material was circulated through multiple end-to-end encrypted messaging applications. Several students have submitted complaints to the NTA.
The NTA later informed Rajasthan DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma, following which a team of expert officials was formed to investigate the allegations. Two helpline numbers — 011-40759000 and 011-69227700 — have been issued for students and the public to share information related to the case. The NTA’s final decision is awaited.
The SOG is trying to determine the scale of circulation of the question bank and trace the chain of people involved to identify the alleged mastermind. However, investigators are yet to determine whether the material was merely a “guess paper” or part of the actual examination paper leaked before the exam.
The Rajasthan SOG is also examining whether the case should formally be treated as a “paper leak.” While the investigation is currently proceeding on the assumption that it may have been a guess paper, experts said such a large overlap of questions would be highly unusual in a competitive examination like NEET, where even one mark can affect rankings.
The controversy has also triggered political reactions. Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra said that after the NEET 2024 controversy, reports of another alleged leak through “guess papers” in NEET 2026 had surfaced. “If more than 50 percent of the questions in the actual examination match those from a guess paper, then what else can it be called if not a paper leak?” he wondered.