116 question papers leaked in the past 12 years; 7.5 crore students affected

Question paper-leak mafias operating in 19 States

New Delhi – Although the Cockroach Janata Party’s agitation at Jantar Mantar against the NEET question paper leak has ended, at least 116 cases of question paper leaks came to light between 2014 and July 2026. Approximately 7.5 crore candidates had to suffer because of these cases. The network of these question paper-leak mafias is spread across 19 States.

1. Between 2014 and 2024, 89 cases came to light. Of these, 21 were related to central institutions and 68 to State-level examinations. Subsequently, 20 cases of question paper leaks were reported in 2025, and seven cases, including the NEET-UG paper leak, were reported up to July 2026.

2. Between January 2019 and June 2024, question papers of 65 examinations were leaked in 19 States across the country. These included examinations ranging from government recruitment to entrance, board and university examinations. Of these 65 cases, 45 were related to government recruitment examinations. At least 27 examinations had to be cancelled or postponed because of question paper leaks. This stalled the recruitment process for more than 3 lakh government posts. Teacher and police recruitment examinations were the most targeted.

3. Uttar Pradesh recorded 11 cases of question paper leaks, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded nine each, Maharashtra six and Gujarat five.

4. Eight examinations, including board examinations conducted by the Central Government, examinations of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, the Union Public Service Commission, the Armed Forces and the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, had to be cancelled. This delayed the recruitment process by two to eight months.

5. In 2025 and 2026, question papers continued to be leaked for board, recruitment, qualifying, university and medical entrance examinations.

6. Following the NEET question paper leak, 21 students committed suicide. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign over flaws in the education system.