NEET Leak Accused Allowed Retest, But NTA Withholds Result: CBI Investigation Continues

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has withheld the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) result of Yash Yadav, an accused in the leak of the medical entrance examination question paper, The Indian Express has learnt.

The NTA, which conducts the competitive exam, had announced on May 12 that the NEET-UG, which was held on May 3, was cancelled because of the leak. A re-examination was held on June 21, the result of which was announced on Thursday (July 16). Yadav was allowed to sit for the retest.

Yash Yadav was arrested on May 13. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the case, alleged that Yadav had received PDF files of the leaked question papers through the secure messaging application Telegram, and sold them for Rs 10 lakh.

A poster outside his school had Yadav's photograph, with “MBBS selection” written next to it, indicating his aspiration to become a doctor.

The NTA's decision to withhold Yadav's result comes amid ongoing investigations into the larger NEET paper leak scandal. The CBI has been probing the case, and multiple arrests have been made. The agency has not yet publicly commented on why Yadav's result is being withheld.

The incident has raised questions about the security of high-stakes entrance examinations in India. The NEET-UG is the primary medical entrance exam for undergraduate courses, with over 1.6 million candidates appearing annually. The leak and subsequent cancellation of the exam caused widespread disruption and anxiety among students.

Yadav's legal counsel has argued that his client is entitled to his result as he was not found guilty by any court. However, the NTA maintains that the result will only be released after the investigation concludes.