Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a government white paper on paper leaks and irregularities in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the last eight years, amid concerns surrounding the NEET-UG 2026 controversy.
In his letter dated June 4, Singh, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, said transparency was necessary to restore confidence among students affected by repeated examination controversies.
"I am writing to you to raise a very important concern which several students have relayed to me in the last few weeks.
At a time when the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination has wreaked havoc on the mental health of lakhs of students, one critical stressor for them has been the lack of clarity on how previous paper leaks, etc. have been investigated," Singh said in his letter to Modi.
The Rajya Sabha MP said there is no consolidated public record detailing paper leak cases or the status of investigations by the CBI and other central and state agencies.
"There is presently no consolidated public record of cases relating to paper leaks and how they are being prosecuted by the CBI and other investigative agencies of the Centre and state governments," Singh said, adding that speculation had filled the information vacuum.
"For instance, one repeated complaint I have received is that the main accused in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak in Hazaribagh, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar alias Mukhiya, is reportedly out on bail.
Similarly, the CBI has reportedly filed a closure report stating that no irregularities occurred in the UGC-NET exam of 2024 which had been cancelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) back then," he said.
Referring to the UGC-NET case, Singh said the CBI had sought additional time from a Delhi court after being asked to provide a written explanation for its closure report, a delay he claimed had further shaken students’ confidence.
"To inspire renewed confidence in the administration's ability and willingness to deliver justice to India's students, I therefore propose that the Government of India issue a white paper documenting the list of instances of paper leaks and/or irregularities which have occurred in NTA-conducted examinations in the last eight years," Singh said.
According to Singh, the proposed white paper should include details of action taken by the NTA and investigative agencies, arrests made, the status of probes, whether chargesheets or closure reports were filed, reasons for closure reports, and the legal status of accused persons.
"At a time when lakhs of students are under heavy pressure, it is critical that we reinforce their faith in the system. Such transparency will act as a confidence-building measure among our youth," the Congress leader said in his letter.
The demand comes amid the fallout from the cancellation of the NEET (UG) 2026 examination, held on May 3 and scrapped on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. The matter is currently under CBI investigation, while a re-examination is scheduled for June 21.
Earlier this week, Singh alleged that Prime Minister Modi had assumed responsibility for ensuring a smooth conduct of the NEET-UG re-test after dissatisfaction with the performance of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also said top NTA officials informed the parliamentary panel that the agency’s immediate focus was on conducting the June 21 re-test in pen-and-paper mode with enhanced safeguards against leaks.
Committee members also flagged concerns over hacking risks in computer-based tests, prompting the NTA to state that a special committee had been formed to examine the issue, with findings expected within three months.
(With inputs from PTI)
