NEET wasn't the only one: Paper leak cases that surfaced during CJP protest

The CJP-led protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak may have concluded, but the fresh paper leak allegations that surfaced across multiple states during the movement reinforced protesters' central claim, that India's examination crisis extends far beyond NEET.Paper leaks beyond NEET: Exam controversies that rocked India during CJP protest (AI generated image)In an effort to rebuild public trust in India's examination system, the Centre accepted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, announced a raft of examination reforms and constituted a Prime Minister-led task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.Yet, the government's response did little to stem the controversy. Even as the reforms were unveiled, fresh allegations of paper leaks and exam irregularities surfaced across the country during the five-week-long Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest, keeping the issue firmly in the national spotlight.From recruitment examinations in Punjab and Maharashtra to university tests in Gujarat and Uttarakhand, the incidents lent weight to protesters' central argument that the crisis was no longer confined to NEET-UG. Instead, they pointed to deeper, systemic weaknesses in India's examination and recruitment.GUJARAT: PROBE ORDERED INTO ALLEGED BAMS PAPER LEAKAn alleged paper leak in a third-year Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) examination has come under scrutiny, with the Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar ordering an inquiry after students claimed the questions had been circulated on WhatsApp before the test. The allegations relate to the third-year BAMS Shalya Tantra-I examination held on July 20. Students alleged that 11 of the 12 questions in the paper matched those shared on WhatsApp beforehand and marked as "important."H P Jhala, the university's director in charge of examinations, said he received a complaint about the alleged leak later that evening, after the examination had concluded. The university has maintained that it has not established that the paper was leaked and said the inquiry will determine whether there was any breach of the examination process.UTTARAKHAND: ENGINEERING SEMESTER EXAMS CANCELLEDIn another significant case, Uttarakhand Technical University cancelled two engineering semester examinations scheduled in July after an alleged paper leak.Police arrested a professor in connection with the incident, alleging that question papers had been circulated before the examinations, forcing the university to scrap both tests.Authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged leak.UGC-NET RETURNS TO POLITICAL SPOTLIGHTThe UGC-NET examination also returned to the political spotlight after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged a fresh paper leak, claiming that a confidential PDF matching the Sociology question paper had been circulated before the examination. He accused the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre of repeatedly failing to safeguard the integrity of competitive examinations and demanded accountability over recurring exam-related controversies.The allegations came amid heightened scrutiny of the NTA over the NEET-UG controversy, adding to the political pressure generated by the ongoing CJP-led student movement. Opposition parties argued that repeated allegations of paper leaks and examination irregularities have steadily eroded public confidence in India's examination system.PUNJAB: PHARMACY OFFICER RECRUITMENT EXAM UNDER SCANNERThe Punjab government's Pharmacy Officer recruitment examination came under controversy after allegations of large-scale cheating surfaced following the examination held on July 19.Opposition parties accused the AAP government of failing to conduct a fair examination and demanded accountability, turning the issue into a political flashpoint in the state.The controversy intensified after several candidates were allegedly caught using Bluetooth-enabled devices and other electronic gadgets to cheat during the recruitment examination.MAHARASHTRA: MPSC DRUG INSPECTOR EXAM CONTROVERSY DEEPENSQuestions also continued to surround the Maharashtra Public Service Commission's Drug Inspector recruitment examination held on March 22 as the Crime Branch questioned the complainant who alleged irregularities in the examination process.While the investigation remains underway, the controversy has added to growing concerns over transparency and integrity in recruitment examinations.Speaking to ANI, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar said, "Rishikesh Gangurde, who is also a complainant about the paper leak which happened in MPSC, has been called because we went to the secretary of MPSC yesterday.""We went to the police also, and we requested that a transparent investigation happen in this particular case... We expect a transparent investigation, and in the next 10–15 days, I hope we get a report on that particular paper leak...," he added.He also argued that Maharashtra's proposed anti-paper leak legislation remains incomplete despite repeated demands for stronger safeguards.A BROADER CRISIS OF TRUSTTaken together, the controversies that surfaced during the CJP movement have reinforced a central claim made by protesters, that India's examination crisis is not confined to a single entrance test but reflects deeper structural vulnerabilities affecting recruitment examinations, professional courses, university assessments and national-level competitive tests.While each case is being investigated independently and authorities have not established wrongdoing in several of them, their cumulative impact has intensified calls for encrypted question paper systems, stronger digital safeguards, institutional accountability and tougher anti-paper leak laws.With the CJP protests having already forced a change in the Union education leadership, prompted the Centre to unveil examination reforms and led to the creation of the Prime Minister-led task force under Nandan Nilekani, scrutiny of India's examination ecosystem is unlikely to ease anytime soon.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 16:45 IST