Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Holds High-Level Meeting At His Residence To Review NEET Retest Plan

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a high-level meeting at his residence on Thursday evening to assess the fallout from the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The high-level meeting was called as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) moved further in its investigation to include possible involvement of the officials within the National Testing Agency (NTA). The sudden session came amid growing public anger and fresh arrests in the case.

According to reports, the nearly 2 hour discussion brought together senior officials from across the education sector, including Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, and CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh. Also, heads of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti were present. 

Sources suggested that the group reviewed possible dates for re-conducting the cancelled exam and discussed steps to strengthen safeguards against future breaches.

Notably, the meeting coincided with a major escalation in the CBI’s investigation, with the central agency securing 7 day custody of 5 suspects already in custody and detaining 2 more, telling the court that it believed an organised network was behind the leak and circulation of confidential papers for financial gain. The investigating teams asserted that they were also examining whether any NTA insiders facilitated the irregularities.

Government Reviews Rescheduling And Security Measures

Reports suggested that discussions at Dharmendra Pradhan’s residence centred on restoring confidence in the examination system while minimising disruption for students. The senior officials present in the meeting assessed the logistics of rescheduling the test and looked at inter-agency coordination between the NTA, CBSE, and other bodies that oversee school and central school systems. 

Preventing repeat incidents was the main focus, with participants examining procedural gaps and proposing tighter controls on question paper handling. Though the government has not yet announced a new date, the officials indicated that any decision would balance security requirements with the need to reduce uncertainty for more than 22 lakh aspirants affected by the cancellation of the May 3 exam.

CBI Pursues ‘Organised Gang’ Angle Amidst Protests

Meanwhile, the public discontent continued to grow over the NEET paper leak incident, with demonstrations reported in several states. The protesters demanded the dissolution of the NTA and Union Education Minister Pradhan’s resignation. In Ahmedabad, the NSUI activists waved black flags as the minister arrived at IIM Ahmedabad for a separate meeting of IIM directors.

Amidst ongoing inquiry, the CBI’s court submission termed the alleged operation as the work of an organised gang that leaked and distributed papers for money. The agency is also probing whether individuals within the NTA played a role. Meanwhile, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FRDA) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging strict action and requesting a shift to a computer-based format for medical entrance tests.

Shockingly, the human cost of the controversy surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, where a 21-year-old aspirant allegedly took his own life after the exam was scrapped. The police stated that the student, who was attempting the test for the third time, left no note. However, his family said that he had been confident of success this year. Further details regarding the ongoing probe are awaited.