Super 30 founder Anand Kumar has called for stricter regulation of coaching centres and stronger safeguards in India’s examination system following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, saying repeated controversies around competitive exams leave students demoralised.
The National Testing Agency scrapped NEET-UG 2026 exactly nine days after the examination was conducted on May 3, citing inputs from central law enforcement agencies that indicated the integrity of the exam had been compromised. Fresh dates for the re-examination are yet to be announced. Nearly 22 lakh students had appeared for the exam this year.
‘Students Lose Morale Every Time This Happens’
Reacting to the cancellation in a phone interview with Aaj Tak TV, Kumar described the development as “very unfortunate” and urged students to hold steady. “This is a very unfortunate thing. Students lose morale every time something like this happens,” he said.
He added, however, that it was reassuring the accused had been identified. “The good thing is that the accused have been caught. I would advise students to stay strong and remain optimistic that they have got another chance,” Kumar said.
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Motion Education founder Nitin Vijay also appealed to students and parents not to panic. “Please don’t panic, don’t be disheartened. Students and parents should calm down,” Vijay told India Today TV.
The Call for a China-Style Crackdown
Kumar urged the government to take strict action to prevent such incidents from recurring. On the question of coaching centre involvement an angle being investigated by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group Kumar said tighter regulation of coaching institutes was essential.
“It’s important to tighten the noose on coaching centres. There should be strict implementation of rules. The government must ensure tough measures like China,” he said.
Kumar was referring to the stringent examination integrity measures China has adopted in recent years for the gaokao, its highly competitive national college entrance examination. Key steps taken by Beijing include the 2021 “Double Reduction” policy under President Xi Jinping, which imposed sweeping curbs on the private tutoring industry, banned for-profit coaching in core school subjects, and restricted coaching classes during weekends and holidays. Alongside these moves, China’s Ministry of Education introduced advanced anti-cheating technologies, stricter monitoring of examination centres, enhanced security protocols for question paper handling, and tighter oversight across the entire examination process from printing to administration. Authorities also focused on preventing fraudulent admissions and increased scrutiny during results processing. Additionally, China expanded admission quotas in top universities for students from rural and economically weaker regions and introduced reforms in some provinces allowing greater subject flexibility.
What Led to the Cancellation
The NTA said the exam was cancelled on the basis of inputs examined in coordination with central agencies, with findings from law enforcement showing that “the present examination process could not be allowed to stand.” The Central Bureau of Investigation has been asked to conduct a comprehensive enquiry into the allegations.
The agency said the May 3 exam had been conducted under elaborate arrangements, including GPS-tracked transportation of question papers with unique watermark identifiers and AI-assisted CCTV surveillance from a central control room. Inputs regarding alleged malpractice were received on May 7 and escalated to central agencies the following day.
The cancellation followed allegations linked to so-called “guess papers” — compilations of predicted questions circulated by some coaching networks before the exam — which investigators suspect may have been connected to leaked or illegally accessed content. Authorities are probing whether organised networks, including individuals linked to coaching centres, played a role in circulating such material ahead of the examination.
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