After the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and cancellation of the exam, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urged the Centre to abolish NEET and allow states to admit students based on Class 12 marks.
By TRH Political Desk
Chennai, May 13, 2026 — C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday strongly urged the Union Government to abolish the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) system for medical admissions, following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 amid allegations of a nationwide question paper leak.
In an official statement issued by the Tamil Nadu government, Vijay said the repeated controversies surrounding NEET had exposed “serious structural flaws” in the national-level examination system and renewed the state’s long-standing demand for admissions based on Class 12 marks.
The statement came after the National Testing Agency (NTA), with approval from the Government of India, cancelled NEET-UG 2026 following investigations into the alleged paper leak. The matter has reportedly been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the statement, NEET-UG 2026 was conducted on May 3 across 5,432 centres nationwide. In Tamil Nadu alone, the exam was held in 31 cities, with nearly 1.4 lakh students from the state appearing for the test.
Vijay said the cancellation had “shattered the hopes of lakhs of medical aspirants” across the country. Referring to the 2024 NEET controversy, he noted that the examination had already faced allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in multiple states, prompting Supreme Court-monitored reforms and recommendations by a high-level expert committee led by former ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan.
“Despite all these reforms, another paper leak has occurred within two years. This is conclusive proof of deep structural defects in the examination system,” the Chief Minister said.
The Tamil Nadu government reiterated that it has consistently opposed NEET since its introduction, arguing that the examination disadvantages students from rural areas, government schools, Tamil-medium backgrounds, and economically weaker families.
Vijay urged the Centre to permit states to fill MBBS, BDS and AYUSH seats under the state quota solely on the basis of Class 12 marks, reviving a demand that has remained central to Tamil Nadu politics for several years.
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