Chief Minister Urges Centre to Scrap NEET-Based Admissions After Paper Leak

Statement by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. C. Joseph Vijay, urging the Union Government to cancel the NEET-based admissions in medical courses and to permit the respective States to fill up seats based on Class 12 marks. ---- The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG 2026) was conducted by the National Testing Agency on 3rd May 2026 across 5,432 centres. In Tamil Nadu alone, the examination was held across 31 cities. 22,05,035 candidates appeared for the examination, including approximately 1.4 lakh candidates from Tamil Nadu. The National Testing Agency has now cancelled this examination with the approval of the Government of India, following investigations by law enforcement agencies into the alleged leakage of the question paper. The matter has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation for inquiry. This cancellation has shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country. This is not the first time NEET's credibility has been compromised. In 2024 too, the question paper was leaked. FIRs were registered in six States in this connection and were later transferred to the CBI. Pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court, the Union Government constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts under Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of ISRO, which submitted 95 comprehensive recommendations for reform. Despite all this, within just two years, another paper leak has occurred, and the examination has been cancelled in its entirety. This is conclusive proof of the flaws and structural deficiencies in a national-level examination. Ever since NEET was introduced, the Government of Tamil Nadu has consistently and unanimously opposed it. The introduction of NEET has severely disadvantaged students from rural areas, government schools, Tamil-medium backgrounds, and socio-economically disadvantaged families. We therefore reiterate the State's long-standing demand that the Union Government abolish NEET entirely and permit the States to fill all seats under the State quota in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses on the basis of Class 12 marks. C. JOSEPH VIJAY CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMIL NADU Issued By: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9