New Delhi: While claiming that images of alleged “correct” NEET-UG 2026 OMR answer sheets being circulated on social media are digitally fabricated and were not issued by the agency, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has warned of strict legal action against those involved.
Creating, submitting, or circulating a fabricated, digitally altered, or otherwise forged OMR answer sheet is a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, it has said.
“The images being circulated as the ‘correct’ OMR are not documents issued by NTA. They are digitally manipulated versions of the candidates’ own genuine OMR answer sheets,” the agency said.
It had verified the examination records of candidates whose results were being questioned online and found that their declared scores were consistent with the genuine OMR sheets in its possession, the NTA said in a statement issued on Monday.
The agency has said that the original OMR answer sheet of every candidate concerned remains on record with the agency.
The genuine sheets contain the correct roll number, test booklet number and code, answer-sheet barcode and serial number, along with the candidate’s name, parents’ names, signatures and thumb impression, as well as the signatures of the two invigilators.
The OMR sheets were also made available to candidates through their portals and registered email addresses during the OMR Response Key challenge window, it said.
The scores declared for the candidates were fully consistent with their genuine OMR sheets, the official answer key and the calculation sheets on record, the NTA maintained, as reported by Republic TV.
While rejecting the authenticity of the OMR images being shared online as the purported “correct” versions, the agency said they had been digitally manipulated from candidates’ genuine answer sheets.
The alterations identified in different cases ranged from the addition of response markings to changes in names and the authenticated signature time of an invigilator, the NTA said.
In its response on X, the NTA also issued individual clarifications concerning five candidates whose claims had gained attention on social media: Avaneesh Srivastava, Pratibha Trivedi, Abhay Yadav, Lakshya Singh and Arya Singh.
It had verified the records in each case and maintained that the candidates’ OMR sheets had been correctly evaluated and their scores stood as declared, the agency noted.
The publicly circulated OMR was a heavily modified version of the genuine sheet in Pratibha Trivedi’s case, the agency said, maintaining that her score of 38 was correct.
While responding to Abhay Yadav’s claim that he had left only five questions unanswered, the NTA said his official OMR showed that 44 questions had not been attempted and that his declared score of 164 remained valid.
Additional answer bubbles had been digitally shaded on the image being circulated online in the case of Lakshya Singh, the agency alleged.
“The image being circulated shows response markings that are not present on the genuine sheet. Additional bubbles have been shaded in by digital means to create a forged OMR sheet,” it said in the statement.
The genuine OMR showed that Singh attempted 54 questions, with 34 correct and 20 incorrect answers, while 126 questions were left unanswered, the NTA said. His score of 116, the agency said, therefore stood as declared.
Arya Singh from Kanpur had publicly raised questions about her NEET-UG result, claiming that the OMR sheet uploaded on July 13 contained an incorrect sequence of questions.
She claimed to have calculated an expected score of 609 and subsequently raised an objection through the official portal. She further alleged that her result initially showed 540 marks on July 16 before later displaying 167 marks.
In its response, the NTA said: “Regarding claims by Ms. Arya Singh (App No. 260410434102) about her NEET (UG) 2026 OMR answer sheet: NTA has verified the record. The genuine OMR of the candidate is with NTA. It was also emailed to her at the registered e-mail address during the OMR Response Key challenge window.”
“The image being circulated is a digitally altered version of that same sheet. The recorded time of signature of one of the invigilators has been changed from 3:45 PM on the genuine sheet to 2:45 PM on the altered image. There are several other markings of digital alteration on the forged OMR sheet. The score of 167 marks is verified and stands as declared,” it added.
Arya was at the Jantar Mantar protest on Saturday, along with her father Rakesh Singh. They threatened to move court unless the NTA reveals the original marksheet.