Police stop protesters during a march against alleged NEET exam irregularities, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, near Parliament House, in New Delhi on Monday
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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has dismissed allegations circulating on social media regarding the evaluation of NEET (UG) 2026 answer sheets, stating that the images being shared are “digitally manipulated” and do not represent the official examination records.In a statement issued on Monday, the NTA said it had examined cases where candidates claimed that their published scores did not match OMR answer sheets circulating online. According to the agency, verification of its records found no discrepancies in the evaluation process.The NTA said every candidate’s original OMR answer sheet is securely maintained with identifying details such as the roll number, test booklet number, barcode, booklet code, candidate’s handwritten information, signatures, thumb impression, and the signatures of two invigilators. It added that the marks awarded to candidates are fully consistent with these original records, the official answer key, and the calculation process.Alleged IrregularitiesThe statement comes amid widespread discussion on social media over the accuracy of NEET (UG) 2026 results, with the NTA reiterating that the published scores accurately reflect candidates’ officially recorded OMR responses.One student claimed that the OMR sheet available on the portal did not reflect the responses she had marked during the examination. Another alleged that his score did not correspond with the number of questions he had attempted. Naming five NEET (UG) candidates, the NTA on X said that the genuine OMR of the candidate is with NTA and has also been emailed to the candidates at their registered e-mail address.“The image being circulated is a digitally altered version of the genuine OMR sheet. It is not, however, the sheet held on record with NTA and has been significantly altered digitally,” it added.Altered MarkingsThe agency further alleged that the OMR sheets circulating on social media are fabricated versions of genuine records. It claimed that the manipulated documents include altered response markings, changes to candidates’ names, and modifications to authenticated invigilator signatures.The NTA warned against the circulation of such material and said submitting, or sharing forged or digitally altered OMR answer sheets constitutes a cognizable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. It added that legal action could be taken under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.The agency advised candidates with legitimate concerns about their results to use the official grievance redressal mechanism outlined in its public notice issued on July 20, 2026.Published on July 20, 2026
