Senior Congress leader and Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman Digvijaya Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the release of a comprehensive white paper on paper leaks and irregularities in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The letter, sent amid the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, cites 'growing anxiety' among lakhs of student aspirants and calls for full transparency on eight years of NTA-conducted exams.

What Singh Has Demanded

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Digvijaya Singh — who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth & Sports — said a white paper covering the last eight years of NTA-conducted examinations is essential to restore credibility. He asked that the document include all instances of paper leaks and irregularities, action taken by the NTA and investigative agencies, the status of ongoing probes, chargesheets or closure reports filed, and the current legal status of all accused persons.

'There is no consolidated public record detailing the status of such cases, the action taken by investigating agencies, or the progress of prosecutions,' Singh wrote. He added that conflicting reports on the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case and the UGC-NET 2024 examination controversy have further shaken students' confidence in the system.

The NEET-UG 2024 Backdrop

The demand comes against the backdrop of a damaging sequence of examination controversies. The NEET-UG 2024 examination was marred by allegations of a large-scale paper leak, with multiple arrests made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and state police across Bihar, Gujarat, and other states. Investigators found that question papers were allegedly accessed hours before the exam and circulated through organised networks for lakhs of rupees.

The controversy triggered nationwide protests by aspirants and parents, petitions in the Supreme Court, and demands for a retest. Now, with the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 amid recurring allegations of malpractice, students and their families are once again left without clarity on when or how the examination will be rescheduled.

The Trust Deficit Among Students

Singh argued that the absence of official, consolidated updates on investigations has deepened uncertainty and mental stress among aspirants. 'Transparency and accountability are essential to rebuilding trust among India's youth and ensuring confidence in the country's examination system,' he said in the letter.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister noted that students across the country are awaiting clarity after the NEET-UG 2026 cancellation, and that the lack of official communication has left both aspirants and parents in the dark. He expressed hope that the Prime Minister would treat the matter with the urgency it deserves.

Wider Implications for Exam Governance

This is not the first time the NTA's examination framework has come under parliamentary scrutiny. The back-to-back controversies surrounding NEET-UG 2024 and UGC-NET 2024 prompted calls for structural reform at the agency, including independent oversight mechanisms. Critics argue that without a transparent public accounting of what went wrong and what corrective steps were taken, recurring irregularities will continue to erode confidence in India's high-stakes national entrance examinations.

With millions of medical aspirants dependent on a credible NEET process, the government's response — or absence of one — will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.