Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday reiterated the State’s demand for the abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), stating that recurring irregularities have shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.
His remarks come amid a nationwide controversy after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 following allegations of a question paper leak.
“This cancellation has shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country,” Vijay said, adding that the Tamil Nadu government has consistently and unanimously opposed NEET since its inception.
Also read
- NEET 2026 row: 2 brothers held for spreading 'guess paper' had BJP links? CBI probe underway
- How the NEET paper leak was exposed by a hostel owner and a teacher in Rajasthan
- How a routine vehicle check exposed a NEET 'solver' racket in Bihar
- NEET UG question paper leak: When will re-exam date be announced?
Highlighting previous instances of paper leaks, the Chief Minister said that despite FIRs and investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), such incidents continue to recur.
“This is not the first time NEET has been compromised. In 2024, the question paper was leaked and FIRs were registered across six States before being transferred to the CBI. Within two years, another paper leak has occurred and the examination has been cancelled. This is conclusive proof of structural flaws in a national-level exam,” he said.
Vijay further argued that the introduction of NEET has disproportionately affected students from rural areas, government schools, Tamil-medium backgrounds, and economically disadvantaged families. Reiterating Tamil Nadu’s long-standing position, he demanded that admissions under the State quota be based on Class 12 marks instead of a centralised entrance test.
“The Government of Tamil Nadu reiterates its long-pending demand to abolish NEET and allow States to fill all seats under the State quota in MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses on the basis of Class 12 marks,” he said.
NEET-UG serves as the single entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS, and other undergraduate medical courses across India.
Approximately 22.79 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which was conducted in pen-and-paper mode across more than 5,400 centres nationwide.
Meanwhile, the CBI has taken over the investigation into the alleged paper leak case and has made multiple arrests.
