Video Alleging NEET-UG Paper Leak on Telegram Declared Fake by National Testing Agency

The National Testing Agency has informed the Supreme Court that a video circulating on social media, which allegedly shows a photo of the undergraduate National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) paper leaked on Telegram on May 4, is actually fake. The agency made this statement during a hearing on Wednesday, as reported by Live Law.

The NEET-UG examination, which was held on May 5, has been marred by allegations of question paper leaks, OMR sheet manipulations, impersonation, and cheating. A batch of petitions has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a fresh exam, citing these irregularities. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra is hearing the case.

Senior Counsel Narender Hooda, representing the petitioners, claimed that the question papers were being circulated on Telegram on May 3 and 4, ahead of the exam. However, the National Testing Agency disputed this claim, stating that the timestamp was manipulated to create a false impression of an early leak. The agency maintained that the alleged leak in Patna did not affect the sanctity of the nationwide exam, as the number of students involved was minuscule compared to the total number of candidates who appeared.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had earlier arrested two individuals from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh and Bihar’s Patna in connection with the alleged paper leak. The petitioners had presented a video of a Telegram channel to the court, claiming that groups of students were asked to memorize the answers.

In a separate development, the CBI has suggested that the evidence that led to the cancellation of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) may have been doctored. The UGC-NET test, conducted for the post of assistant professor in universities and colleges, was held on June 18 and cancelled the next day due to alleged leaks. The government had cited a screenshot of a UGC-NET paper circulating on a Telegram channel around 2 pm on June 18 as evidence of the leak.

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre under the Union home ministry detected the chat and informed the University Grants Commission on June 19, leading to the cancellation of the test. The CBI took over the inquiry on June 23. The agency’s findings have raised questions about the authenticity of the evidence presented by the government.