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Paper Scams in India
Question paper leaks and exam scams in India, 1947 to 2026. This is not the record of one party — it happened under Congress, BJP, RJD, DMK, regional governments and central agencies alike. Every entry gives the year, the exam, the state and the outcome.
89leak cases in 10 years (2014–24)
6.5 crcandidates affected in that period
45+major leaks documented in 24 years
Numbers from the Newslaundry analysis (July 2024) and The Indian Express review. They count only cases where an FIR was filed or the exam was cancelled — so the real number is likely higher.
2002 – 2009
2002
AIIMS PG medical entrancePapers sold in Patna and Lucknow for ₹75,000–1 lakh. Delhi HC ordered a CBI probe.
CBI probe, arrests
CBI probe, arrests
2002
RRB Mumbai — Assistant Station MasterPaper sold for ₹50,000–1 lakh; the exam was cancelled.
8 convicted in 2025
8 convicted in 2025
2003
CAT 2003 (IIMs)Nationwide leak syndicate busted in Delhi; papers sold for ₹2–4 lakh. IIMs cancelled the exam and held a retest.
Exam cancelled, retest
Exam cancelled, retest
2007
ICAI CA CPTPaper unsealed at a Delhi centre and distributed for money; exposed by a TV sting.
Arrests, conviction
Arrests, conviction
2008
Vyapam Patwari (Madhya Pradesh)Forged certificates and rigged selection. CBI court sentenced 10 to five years in 2025.
Convictions
Convictions
2008
RRB AllahabadUP STF arrested the kingpin and 10 others; exams for about 37,000 candidates cancelled.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2009
Meghalaya "White Ink" scamAnswer scripts altered with correction fluid during a minister's tenure. High Court quashed proceedings in 2025.
CBI chargesheet
CBI chargesheet
2009
RRB Ajmer — ASMRacket busted in Jaipur and Bhopal; 109 arrested, exam postponed.
109 arrests
109 arrests
2010 – 2013 · the Vyapam years
2010
UPPSC Additional Private SecretaryCandidates who failed the shorthand test were passed and appointed. CBI raided the exam controller.
CBI FIR
CBI FIR
2010
RRB Mumbai — ALP/ASMLeak in recruitment for 1,936 posts. 10 convicted in 2024, including the former RRB chairman.
Convictions
Convictions
2010
Indian Navy — Western Command LDCA commander with custody of the paper carried it on a pen drive. Convicted in 2025.
Conviction
Conviction
2011
LIC AAOPapers taken from a printing press and sold for ₹5–7 lakh. LIC cancelled the exam for 1.65 lakh candidates.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2011
AIEEEPaper leaked in UP and sold for ₹6 lakh. CBSE swapped papers mid-exam for about 12 lakh students.
Paper replaced live
Paper replaced live
2011
CG-PMT (Chhattisgarh)About 80 aspirants found being tutored from the leaked paper; exam scrapped.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2011
KPSC Gazetted Probationers (Karnataka)Mark tampering across 362 posts; the entire 2011 recruitment list was scrapped.
List scrapped
List scrapped
2012
Vyapam PMT / Pre-PG / constable (MP)Solvers, impersonators and leaked answer keys. CBI chargesheeted 592 people in the PMT case alone.
Mass chargesheets
Mass chargesheets
2012
SBI AssistantsSyndicate used Bluetooth earpieces to relay answers; kingpin arrested hours before the exam.
Arrests
Arrests
2012
JKCET medical (J&K)Papers with answer keys sold in advance; the BOPEE chairman was arrested, 11 candidates convicted.
Convictions
Convictions
2013
SSC CGLLeak through laptops and pen drives. The Central Administrative Tribunal scrapped the exam and ordered a fresh one.
Cancelled by CAT
Cancelled by CAT
2013
RAS Prelims (Rajasthan)Around 20 of the top 50 candidates had accessed the leaked paper. Exam scrapped.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2013
Vyapam — the national scandalInvestigators found fraud across 13 exams affecting lakhs of candidates, and at least 23 "unnatural deaths" linked to the case. Over 2,000 people were arrested; the Supreme Court transferred the probe to the CBI and cancelled the degrees of 634 doctors admitted fraudulently.
SC-monitored CBI probe
SC-monitored CBI probe
2014 – 2019
2014
APSC cash-for-jobs (Assam)Candidates paid bribes for selection. Former chairman Rakesh Paul and 33 others convicted in 2024.
Convictions
Convictions
2014
MPPSC Ayurvedic Medical OfficersPaper leaked from an interstate gang; recruitment for 722 posts cancelled.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2014
UPCPMT (UP)Question paper boxes tampered inside a bank vault. Over 1 lakh candidates affected, exam cancelled.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2014
DSSSB Head Clerk (Delhi)Leak and mass copying; the whole selection was cancelled and the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation in 2021.
Cancelled, upheld by SC
Cancelled, upheld by SC
2017
DSSSB primary teachers (MCD)Cancelled after a Delhi Police report confirmed cheating and a paper leak.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2023 – 2024 · the national exam crisis
2023
AIIMS NORCET-4 (nursing officers)Doctored computer monitors gave remote access to solvers. CBI arrested the mastermind.
CBI probe
CBI probe
2023
Bihar Police ConstableExam for 21,391 posts cancelled; the EOU filed 67 FIRs across 21 districts and arrested 148 people.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2023
KEA FDA / board recruitment (Karnataka)Custom micro-Bluetooth earpieces stitched into shirts; over 40 arrested including a repeat mastermind.
40+ arrests
40+ arrests
2024
UP Police ConstableExam for 60,244 posts and 48 lakh candidates cancelled after the paper leaked in transit from the press; the board chairperson was removed.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2024
UPPSC RO/ARO PrelimsQuestions went viral on social media; exam cancelled and a re-exam ordered.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2024
BPSC TRE 3.0 (Bihar teachers)A solver gang got the paper before barcoding; both shifts cancelled, retest held in July 2024.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2024
NEET-UGOver 23 lakh candidates. CBI confirmed a localised leak in Patna and Hazaribagh and arrested around 50 people. The Supreme Court refused a nationwide retest but 1,563 candidates given grace marks were re-tested.
CBI probe, partial retest
CBI probe, partial retest
2024
UGC-NETHeld on 18 June for 11 lakh candidates, cancelled the next day on cybercrime inputs. The CBI later filed a closure report saying the screenshot was doctored and no leak occurred.
No leak found by CBI
No leak found by CBI
2024
NEET-PGPostponed hours before the exam as a precaution; held later in August.
Postponed
Postponed
2024
Odisha Police SICandidates paid ₹20–25 lakh each; 123 arrests and 150+ devices seized.
123 arrests
123 arrests
2024
NHM Bihar — Community Health OfficerSolver gang accessed exam computers through proxy servers; exam cancelled.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2025 – 2026
2025
East Central Railway — Chief Loco PilotCBI arrested 26 railway officials and seized ₹1.17 crore a day before the exam; the Railway Board cancelled pending Group-C departmental exams.
26 arrested
26 arrested
2025
Special OTET (Odisha)For 75,000 in-service teachers, cancelled hours before the test; the Board's vice-president was among those arrested.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2025
JKSSB Junior EngineerSolved papers surfaced on social media; exam across 35 venues cancelled.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2025
UKSSSC graduate-level recruitmentLeak and paper-setting violations by private agencies; exam cancelled and retest announced.
Cancelled
Cancelled
2025
Maharashtra TETRing selling papers for about ₹3 lakh each busted in Kolhapur.
Arrests
Arrests
2026
UPESSC Assistant ProfessorExam cancelled after the UP STF arrested members of a racket, including a confidential assistant.
Cancelled
Cancelled
How to read this list: each entry states only what is on public record — an FIR, a court order or an official cancellation. In some cases the leak was proven, in others it was not (for example UGC-NET 2024, where the CBI filed a closure report). Where it says "acquitted" or "no leak found", the case did not hold. Read this page as a record of a system failing — not as proof that every politician is corrupt.
Sources:
Wikipedia — List of paper leaks in India ·
Newslaundry (July 2024) — 89 leak cases in 10 years ·
The Indian Express — 45 major paper leaks in 24 years ·
The Tribune — Vyapam to NEET timeline