Abhinaya Harigovind

The drop in pass percentage came in a year when the CBSE introduced a new on-screen marking system for class 12 where answer sheets were evaluated digitally. Here's what the results look like this year, and why.

The focus of investigators will be on identifying where the breach took place in the sequence of steps involved in the process -- from setting of the paper to the printing press and the exam centre.

Addressing his first press conference since the cancellation of the medical entrance exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Centre has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy against examination malpractice.

Currently, NEET-UG is a pen-and-paper exam. After a paper leak came to light in 2024, a Centre-constituted committee has suggested reforms in the conduct of public exams, including a switch to computer-based testing.

On Friday, the CBI arrested P V Kulkarni, a retired lecturer from Pune, identifying him as the “source of the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leaks”. Another professor from Pune, Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested on Saturday.

NEET UG Leak 2026: Based on own probe, NTA referred names of Chemistry paper-setters and translators to CBI.

CBI has also found that the arrested subject expert, Mandhare, conspired with other co-accused, including Manisha Waghmare and PV Kulkarni.

This gave Manisha Mandhare access to a wider portion of the paper than previously known. CBI also found that Mandhare conspired with co-accused Manisha Waghmare and mobilised prospective candidates for whom she conducted special classes at her residence

Here's what the new on-screen marking system is, what the Board and the Education Ministry have to say about it, and why it's now under the scanner.

It is not immediately known whether the IAF will provide logistics support for any other all-India level examination as well.