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The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday dismissed claims circulating on social media alleging discrepancies in the OMR answer sheets of certain candidates who appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 examination, asserting that the results declared are accurate and that the images being shared are digitally manipulated.
In a statement, the NTA said it had taken note of images of OMR answer sheets being circulated online as the "correct" records of certain candidates to support claims that their declared results were incorrect. "It has come to the notice of the National Testing Agency that images of OMR answer sheets, said to be the 'correct' record of certain candidates who appeared in NEET (UG) 2026, are being circulated on social media in support of claims that the results declared against those candidates are wrong," the statement said. The agency said it had verified the records in all such cases and found that, without exception, the results were consistent with the original records maintained by the NTA. According to the statement, the genuine OMR answer sheet of every candidate bears the correct roll number, test booklet number, answer sheet barcode and serial number, test booklet code, and the candidate's handwritten details, along with the signatures and thumb impression of the candidate and two invigilators. The agency added that these records were made available to candidates through their registered email addresses and the candidate portal. "The score declared against every such candidate is fully consistent with that OMR answer sheet, the official answer key notified for NEET (UG) 2026, and the calculation sheet on file. There is no evaluation error," the NTA said. The examination body further stated that the images being circulated on social media are not documents issued by the NTA but are digitally altered versions of genuine OMR answer sheets. "The alterations observed in the cases examined range from the introduction of additional response markings to the alteration of names and of the authenticated signature time of an invigilator, amongst others," the statement said. The NTA warned that the creation, submission or circulation of fabricated or forged OMR answer sheets constitutes a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and may also attract penal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. The agency advised candidates with genuine grievances to follow the procedure outlined in its public notice dated July 20, 2026, available on the NTA website. (ANI)
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