NTA Scraps UGC-NET Papers; “PM Modi Built A System That Cannot Run An Exam,” Says Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: India’s examination system has landed in fresh turmoil after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the cancellation of the UGC-NET examinations for three major subjects due to widespread technical and structural errors. The decision, affecting thousands of candidates across the country, has ignited a fierce political storm, with Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of operating an “extraction machine” that ruins the lives of young aspirants.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of heightened public and parliamentary outrage over recurring examination leaks across the country, which recently prompted Parliament to pass the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026—a stringent legislation designed to crack down on examination syndicates and institutional malpractices.
The UGC-NET examinations for English, Commerce, and Sociology were originally conducted between 22 and 30 June 2026. However, following extensive candidate complaints regarding erroneous question papers and repeated items from previous years’ tests, the NTA launched an internal inquiry. Following recommendations from an expert review panel, the NTA confirmed the cancellation of the tests for those three specific subjects to ensure a “fair and error-free examination.”
According to the official schedule released by the testing body, the re-examinations will take place in September, with English scheduled for the morning shift on 9 September, Commerce for the afternoon shift on 9 September, and Sociology for the morning shift on 10 September. The agency assured candidates that no additional fees would be charged for the re-tests and clarified that seat allocations would remain unaffected, while results for the remaining 84 UGC-NET subjects are proceeding according to their original timeline.
The cancellation triggered immediate condemnation from opposition leaders. In a sharply worded statement targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi questioned whether the papers had in fact been compromised prior to the examinations. He noted that thousands of candidates who prepared for years, filled forms, paid fees, and travelled to distant centres must now do it all again in September, arguing that the NTA makes the mistake while the student serves the sentence.
Gandhi argued that the recurring failures represent a systemic collapse rather than isolated administrative errors, stating that the current setup is no longer an education system but an extraction machine that takes students’ money, years, mental health, and confidence without returning even a job. He demanded that the leadership of the NTA be held strictly accountable alongside political heads.
The latest crisis at the NTA coincides with legislative moves in Parliament aimed at restoring trust in public recruitment and entrance tests. In response to a series of high-profile paper leaks—including breaches during the NEET medical entrance assessments—Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026.
The law updates previous framework legislation to significantly heighten penalties and accelerate prosecution against organised cheating networks. Under the new provisions, individual offenders and members of organized paper-leak syndicates face up to 10 years of imprisonment, up from the previous three-to-five-year range. Fines for involved service providers and private testing agencies have been escalated up to Rs 5 crore, accompanied by mandatory bans from conducting public tests. Furthermore, the legislation mandates that investigations by central agencies or designated Special Task Forces must be completed within two months, with Special Fast Track Courts required to conclude trials within three months.
