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The most dangerous thing about injustice is not merely that it exists but that society slowly begins to accept it as normal. That is precisely what is happening to India’s examination system.

Nearly 22 lakh students walked into examination halls believing that years of sacrifice and relentless hard work would finally matter. Across Kota, Patna, Delhi, Hyderabad and countless smaller towns, young people reduced life itself to revision schedules, rankings and impossible expectations. For millions of families the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is not merely an examination. It is a symbol of their aspiration for their wards to become doctors, irrespective of social status.

Then came allegations that the NEET-UG 2026 paper had been compromised and was circulating in the form of a guess paper. Soon after the examination was cancelled, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was asked to step in to probe what happened, and a re-examination was scheduled for June 21. The lives of the 22 lakh aspirants were thrown back into uncertainty and emotional exhaustion.

The CBI informed a Delhi court that the leaked NEET paper had allegedly originated from a person connected to the National Testing Agency. If these allegations prove true they raise disturbing questions about the integrity of the very institution entrusted with conducting one of the country’s most important examinations.

What makes this even more devastating is that none of this feels new anymore. India has seen similar controversies before, from Vyapam that surfaced in 2013 to the All India Pre-medical Entrance cancelled in 2015; from the Staff Selection Commission or SSC paper leak controversies to UGC-NET cancellations; from the prior instances of NEET paper leaks to yet another one in 2026. News reports and statements of opposition leaders highlight nearly 89 examination papers have been leaked across India over the last decade, leading to 48 re-examinations and affecting crores of aspirants.

Nothing captures the human cost of this collapse more painfully than the death of 22-year-old NEET aspirant Pradeep Mahich in Rajasthan’s Sikar, allegedly by suicide amid the stress and uncertainty of having to appear for the test again. And yet, around the same time, a Rajasthan minister publicly remarked that paper leaks were “not a big deal”.

For those in positions of power and privilege, a paper leak and re-test may be just another controversy. For........

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