In the wake of many Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets submitted for scrutiny turning out to be fake or AI-generated, students and parents are advised to submit only original OMRs for scrutiny, the National Testing Agency (NTA) stated on Monday (July 20, 2026).

“Any fake or AI-generated OMR may invite legal action against the complainant. NTA is closely scrutinising and monitoring all complaints,” the agency has further said.

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, NTA further said.

NTA has stated that the agency verifies records in all such cases — the genuine OMR sheet of every candidate bearing the correct roll number, test booklet number, answer sheet barcode and serial, test booklet code and the candidate’s own name and parentage in the candidate’s own hand, together with signature and thumb impression of the candidate and the two invigilators, is held on record with NTA. “It was made available to the candidate at the registered e-mail address and on the candidates portal,” NTA claimed in the statement.

In case of claims made by a candidate Arya Singh, NTA stated that the genuine OMR sheet 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 p.m. on the genuine sheet to 2.45 p.m. on the altered image. There are several other markings of digital alteration on the forged OMR sheet,” NTA stated on X. “The score of 167 marks is verified and stands as declared.”

In another case of a claim by a candidate Lakshya Singh, the Central agency has stated that the image being circulated shows response markings that are not present on the genuine sheet. Additional bubbles have been shaded in digital means to create a forged OMR sheet. Of 180 questions, the candidate attempted 54 (34 correct, 20 incorrect) and left 126 unattempted. The score of 116 marks is verified and stands as declared.

Meanwhile, Lakshya Singh’s relative claimed that NTA had not given any OMR sheet over the mail previously, and that there was no download option on the login portal. “Now we have to fight a legal case with NTA, as in it is our kid who has forged things or it is NTA’s mismanagement or loophole deliberate or indeliberate,” Mr. Singh’s aunt Purva Bhargava stated on X.

In the case of a candidate named Avaneesh Srivastava, NTA has stated that the image being circulated is not an OMR sheet issued by NTA. The identity inserted into that image (Ajeet Singh, son of Lakhan Singh and Smt. Reena Singh) does not correspond to any candidate registered with NEET(UG) 2026. No candidate by that name and parentage exists in the NEET(UG)2026 database.

The image is a digitally regenerated version of the candidate’s own genuine OMR sheet. The identity fields have been overwritten, and the printed portion of the sheet has been regenerated by AI or OCR-based tools, producing visible errors on portions of the genuine OMR sheet and cannot be altered by any candidate with a pen. The candidates own OMR sheet on record has been evaluated and score of 337 marks is verified and stands declared, NTA stated on X.

The score declared against all such candidates is fully consistent with that OMR answer sheet, the official answer key notified for NEET(UG) 2023 and the calculation sheet on file, there is no evaluation error, the agency mentioned.

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 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 amount others.

The creation submission or circulation of a fabricated digitally altered or otherwise forged OMR answer sheet is a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means)Act 2024 and separately attracts liability under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the IT Act, 2000, NTA has further said in an official statement.

Candidates with genuine grievances are advised to follow the process set out in NTA’s public notice dated July 20, 2026 available on NTA website.