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24-06-2026
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: If sitting one of India’s most difficult exams wasn’t trying enough, more than 2 million medical school candidates are now experiencing severe stress as they have to do it again on Sunday through no fault of their own.
They initially sat the exam on May 3 but authorities ended up scrapping the results after allegations on social media that there had been leaks of the question paper in advance.
Only 5% to 6% of students taking the exam, known as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, secure seats at medical schools.
“This examination drains us mentally. We put in years of hard work and then the paper gets leaked and results are cancelled,” said Alima Javed, a 20-year-old student from Srinagar who plans to reset the test.
The controversy has triggered a slew of student protests in New Delhi and other cities, with hundreds of students turning out per demonstration, becoming a political headache for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
Some media and opposition politicians have also asserted that the debacle has led to some student suicides, though such claims are difficult to verify.
Authorities pledge fair test as they investigate the leak
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said authorities will ensure a “fair and transparent” re-test.
To that end, the government has ordered a temporary block on the messaging app Telegram until the exam is over, though that move has drawn criticism from free speech activists.
On Friday, Telegram lost its bid to overturn the ban, with an Indian court ruling that the government’s actions were legal and reasonable. The block only affected Telegram, with the government arguing that the app represented a unique case, citing its anonymity features and its easy recreation of blocked channels.
Authorities have launched a multi-agency probe into the alleged leak, with investigators seeking to pin down its origin and examining financial transactions linked to suspect cheating networks.
Arrests have been made in several states, Indian government officials have said, and they warn of tougher penalties for those involved in exam malpractice.
The government has also announced steps to tighten exam security including enhanced monitoring at centres, stricter controls over question paper handling and the use of digital tracking systems but many students say the measures have done little to ease the pressure.
“I was very happy with my last attempt,” said Aliya Jalaal, 20, adding that the retest has left her so anxious that she has sought psychiatric help.
Earlier, Telegram lost its bid to overturn an Indian government order temporarily banning the messaging app, with a New Delhi court ruling that the government’s actions, aimed at preserving the integrity of a key med school exam, were legal and reasonable.
The ban of the app from June 16 to June 22 has stirred an intense debate in the world’s most populous nation. Free speech rights activists say it has set a worrying precedent that cements government powers to curb the use of any messaging platform whenever it sees fit.
The government put the block in place after the results of the country’s exam for students hoping to get into medical schools were scrapped last month amid allegations that the question paper had been leaked.
The government is “empowered … to issue directions for blocking the public access to Telegram,” Delhi High Court Justice Tejas Karia said in his ruling.
