NEET row: Sachin Pilot demands Education Minister Pradhan's resignation

Congress leader Sachin Pilot demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG exam row. He called for a time-bound judicial inquiry, criticising the Centre for ordering a CBI probe which he termed a stalling tactic.

Amid the row over NEET-UG exam cancellation, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying accountability must be fixed over repeated lapses in national-level examinations.

"Of course. The department responsible for this should take responsibility. If this is happening repeatedly, the government must take action, no matter how prominent the individual involved may be, regardless of their affiliation with any organisation, ideology, or political party. There should be a judicial inquiry--one that is time-bound," Pilot told ANI. He was responding to a question regarding whether he is demanding the resignation of the Education Minister Pradhan.

'Centre shielding itself under pretext of CBI inquiry'

Pilot further criticised the Centre for ordering a CBI probe instead of fixing responsibility. "The Central Government has, once again, attempted to shield itself under the pretext of ordering a CBI inquiry. Under the guise of an investigation, you merely seek to stall the matter. An inquiry was instituted two years ago as well; where is its report? Who was penalised? Who faced punishment? No one has any idea," he said.

Pilot alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had failed to establish a foolproof system for conducting the examination process." "The National Testing Agency bore the primary responsibility of establishing a foolproof system for the entire process. From setting the papers and printing them to conducting the actual examination, if the individuals involved were not highly influential figures, they would have been apprehended by now. This suggests that some syndicate or mafia network is operating across the entire country," he alleged.

Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday refused to answer questions from the media regarding the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

CBI Registers FIR Over Irregularities

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR regarding the alleged irregularities and paper leak in the conduct of NEET-UG 2026 Exam under various sections of BNS, Prevention of Corruption Act and Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024.

The FIR was registered based on a written complaint received from the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. The FIR has been registered for offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under BNS, apart from PCA and offences under the Public Examination Prevention of Unfair Means Act.

Special CBI teams have been formed and dispatched to various locations for investigation.

Centre Cancels NEET-UG 2026 Exam

Earlier in the day, the Centre cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, citing concerns over the integrity of the process. The government also announced that the exam will be re-conducted on a later date.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) said the decision was taken after inputs from central agencies raised concerns about the examination process and its transparency. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)