Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government decided to cancel the exam after finding that “some assessments had been compromised”. Archive | Photo Credit: PTI
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday (May 22, 2026) said the government had to take “difficult decisions” after irregularities were detected in the conduct of NEET-UG, asserting that the authorities did not want even a single deserving student to lose his rightful seat due to the “examination mafia”.
He also stated that the Government is committed to ensuring that the new test scheduled for June 21 is “100% error-free.”
Addressing the Jagran Bharat Education Conclave 2026, Pradhan said around 22 lakh students have suffered “mental anguish” due to the controversy surrounding the medical entrance exam and the government is committed to fixing the system.
“Twenty-two lakh children have gone through immense mental anguish. Understanding that anguish and taking responsibility, I say this today, we had to make some difficult decisions,” he said.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) recently canceled the national eligibility and entrance test (undergraduate) for admissions in medical courses held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak. The matter is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a fresh test is scheduled to be conducted on June 21.
Also read: Problems with Tests: At National Testing Agency, NEET-UG 2026
Pradhan said the government decided to cancel the exam after discovering that “some assessments had been compromised”.
“We did not want even a single student to be deprived of his seat due to the conspiracy of those involved in irregularities in the education system and the exam mafia,” he said.
The Minister acknowledged criticism over the handling of the issue but said the government is prepared to face the challenge.
“We face criticism and challenges, and I accept that. But it is our responsibility to correct the system. It is not our duty to close our eyes and walk away from the problem,” he said.
He further said that the government is committed to ensuring a smoother conduct of the re-examination scheduled for June 21.
“For the exam scheduled for June 21, it is our responsibility to ensure that it is 100% error-free,” he said.
Published – May 22, 2026 06:10 pm IST
