New Delhi, May 15: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the Centre has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards examination malpractices and asserted that the government is committed to a strong crackdown on what he termed the “pariksha mafia” or exam mafias.

Addressing a press briefing on the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, Pradhan said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already initiated action in the matter and questioned how the breach occurred despite the implementation of the recommendations made by the Radhakrishnan Committee.

He said the entire government machinery would work to ensure such incidents are not repeated in future examinations.

“We will not allow any mafia to snatch deserving students’ seats through money power,” Pradhan said, adding that the decision to cancel the examination was “tough but necessary” in the interest of students.

NTA Detected Leak Through ‘Guess Paper’ Complaint
The Union Minister announced that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will now be conducted on June 21.

He said the examination was originally held on May 3 and that on May 7, the National Testing Agency (NTA) received a complaint alleging that some questions appearing in a so-called “guess paper” had matched the actual examination paper.

According to Pradhan, the Higher Education Department immediately initiated a probe and handed the matter over to government agencies.

“They coordinated with state agencies and by May 12, we were convinced that under the guise of a guess paper, the actual exam questions had indeed been leaked,” he said.

Pradhan said the government did not want any deserving candidate to lose opportunities because of fraudulent candidates or the conspiracy of education mafias.

Referring to past irregularities, he said the Radhakrishnan Committee had been constituted earlier and that its recommendations for both 2025 and 2026 examinations had been implemented “word for word”.

“Despite that, this incident occurred. Therefore, our first decision was to cancel the examination,” he added.

Appealing to students not to fall prey to rumours surrounding the controversy, Pradhan acknowledged that despite implementation of safeguards suggested by the Radhakrishnan Committee, there had been a “breakdown in the chain of command”.

“The government accepts the lapse and is committed to fixing the system,” he said, describing examination malpractices as a “social evil” that must be eradicated.

Candidates To Get Fee Refund, Fresh City Choice
The Education Minister further said the NTA has taken two major decisions following cancellation of the examination.

He announced that all candidates would receive a full refund of their examination fees and would not be required to pay again for the June 21 re-examination.

Candidates will also be allowed to choose their preferred examination city once again, with a one-week window to be provided for the process.

A detailed notification regarding the revised arrangements will be issued by the NTA by Thursday evening, he said.

Extra Time For OMR Filling, Admit Cards On June 14
Pradhan further stated that candidates would be given an additional 15 minutes to fill in details on the OMR sheet, while admit cards for the re-examination will be released on June 14.

Also Read: NTA Announces Fresh Date For NEET-UG 2026 Re-Examination

Centre Hints At Major Reform In NEET System
The Union Minister also indicated a major reform in the examination system from next year, saying there is a need to move towards a Computer-Based Test (CBT) model.

He said the NEET examination should eventually shift from the current pen-and-paper format to a fully online computer-based examination system.

Pradhan further asserted that the CBI would conduct a detailed investigation and said no person involved in wrongdoing would be spared.

He also sought support from citizens, policymakers, media and society to ensure a transparent and fair examination system.