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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has activated the refund facility for candidates who appeared in the cancelled NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3. Students can now submit their bank account details through the official website to claim a refund of the examination fee.

According to the official notification, the refund option has been made available on the NEET-UG 2026 registration portal. Candidates who had registered for the examination can log in using their application credentials and access the dedicated refund link to complete the process.

To receive the refund, applicants are required to provide essential banking details, including the account holder's name, bank name, account number, and IFSC code. Candidates also have the option to upload a scanned copy of a cancelled cheque to help ensure the accuracy of the submitted information.

The NTA clarified that once the bank details are submitted, they will be treated as final, and no corrections or modifications will be allowed afterwards. Candidates have been advised to carefully verify all information before submission. The deadline for submitting bank details for the refund process is May 27, 2026, until 11:50 P.M.

The refund process comes after the cancellation of theNEET-UG 2026 examination following allegations of irregularities and a question paper leak. The controversy sparked widespread concern among students and parents across the country and led to multiple investigations, including a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The original NEET-UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3 for admissions to undergraduate medical courses across India. However, the exam was later scrapped after reports surfaced that certain individuals had allegedly gained access to the question paper before the examination and distributed it to candidates in exchange for money. Investigating agencies have so far arrested 11 individuals in connection with the case.

Following the cancellation, the NTA announced that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will now be conducted on June 21. The examination will take place from 2:00 P.M. to 5:15 P.M. (IST), including the time allotted for examination formalities. Candidates have been advised to regularly visit the official NTA website for updates related to the refund process and the re-examination schedule.

CBI arrests Pune-based NTA expert in NEET-UG 2026 physics paper leak case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested another key accused in connection with the sharing of the physics questions in the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leak case, officials said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, was arrested after a detailed interrogation by the central agency. She is currently employed at Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune.

According to the CBI, Havaldar was associated with the NEET-UG 2026 examination process and had been appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert. In this capacity, she had complete access to the physics question papers.

Investigators alleged that during April, she shared several physics questions of the NEET-UG 2026 examination with co-accused Manisha Mandhare, who had earlier been arrested on May 16. The agency said that the questions shared by Havaldar matched the physics questions that eventually appeared in various NEET-UG 2026 paper sets, establishing her role as a crucial source in the leak.

The CBI also conducted searches at multiple locations across the country as part of the ongoing investigation. During the raids, officials seized several incriminating documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones. The agency said forensic and technical analysis of the seized materials is currently underway.

The case was registered by the CBI on May 12 following a written complaint from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education regarding the leak of NEET-UG 2026 examination papers.

Soon after taking over the investigation, the CBI formed multiple special teams and launched coordinated searches across several states. Several suspects were detained and questioned to trace the origin and network involved in the leak.

Officials said that with the latest arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 11. The arrests have been made from multiple locations, including Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar.

The probe has so far revealed the alleged involvement of a widernetwork of middlemen and facilitators who mobilised students willing to pay huge sums of money to access leaked questions through special coaching sessions before the examination.

According to investigators, these middlemen arranged confidential coaching classes where questions that were expected to appear in the NEET-UG 2026 examination were allegedly circulated among students after collecting lakhs of rupees from candidates and their families.

The CBI said efforts are continuing to identify all individuals involved in the conspiracy and to uncover the complete chain of the paper leak racket. The agency reiterated its commitment to carrying out a "comprehensive, impartial and professional investigation" in the case.