India’s government-run examination system has been under intense scrutiny for years now, with repeated paper-leak scandals that have led to the cancellation, re-conduct or postponement of several key exams on which lakhs and lakhs of students rely for jobs and higher education.
Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the Centre of failing to safeguard the integrity of examinations.
The controversy reached its peak this year when the paper leak in the NEET-UG medical entrance examination that was re-conducted again on June 21 triggered nationwide protests.
Over the years, the repeated cancellation of such vital exams has not only jeopardised the lives of lakhs of students but has also imposed significant emotional stress on candidates.
Whether its medical exam of university admisison test, here is a look at the examinations that were cancelled over alleged paper leaks over the recent years.
2026
The NEET-UG paper leak revolves around question paper leak and systematic failure which led to the nullification of the May 3 exam which was later reconducted on June 21. A ‘guess paper’ in which questions overlapped with the questions during the main exam was circulated for more than a month across states.
The Centre had ordered a CBI probe and more than 13 individuals were eventually arrested linked to the apparent leak. The Centre also banned Telegram in India till June 22 to curb the spread of fake information and question papers.
2025
In 2025, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) in Odisha abruptly cancelled the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) after allegations that the question paper had been leaked.
The cancellation was announced hours before the examination that had more than 75,000 candidates appearing for it.
The Railway Board in March cancelled all Limited Departmental Competitive Examinations (LDCEs) and General Departmental Competitive Examinations (GDCES) for Group ‘C’. The decision came after the CBI arrested 26 personnel in connection with a paper leak.
2024
In 2024, the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) 2024 was cancelled a day after it was conducted, following concerns that its integrity had been compromised. More than 9 lakh students faced uncertainties with the announcement of cancellation, which was later conducted online.
The NEET-UG 2024 also sparked nationwide outrage after allegations of a paper leak. Investigation revealed that the question paper was circulated in paid WhatsApp groups before the exam. Several arrests were made, including individuals linked to the NTA, which revealed an ‘organised network’.
NEET-PG and the CSIR-UGC NET examinations were also called off at the last minute after authorities raised concerns that the integrity of the tests may have been compromised.
2023
The Bihar Police Constable Recruitment Examination 2023 was scrapped after allegations of cheating and question paper leaks. The Central Selection Board of Constables (CSBC) cancelled the October 1 written test that was conducted across multiple centres in the state. Conducting a thorough search all over the state, more than 130 individuals were arrested in connection with the paper leak.
2022
The year 2022 was another year that witnessed a series of exam discrepancies caused by paper leaks, technical glitches and subsequent cancellations. The Bihar Public Service Commission cancelled its 67th Combined Preliminary Exam after the paper was leaked and widely circulated on social media minutes before the exam was scheduled to begin. A preliminary exam was later reconducted in September of the same year.
While not entirely cancelled, the CUET-UG exam in 2022 faced several technical glitches during Phase 2 and Phase 4 exams, for which it had to be cancelled across several locations.
