Dharmendra Pradhan admits UGC-NET exam paper leaked on darknet, announces high-level committee to look into NTA functioning

New Delhi, June 20

Amid demand by the opposition to re-conduct the medical entrance exam NEET, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said isolated incidents of malpractices should not affect lakhs of students who cleared the examination rightfully.

He announced a high-level panel to look into the functioning of the testing agency NTA.

Addressing a press conference here, Pradhan also appealed to the opposition parties not to politicise the issue and said strict action would be taken against those found guilty, including officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The high-level committee to review and improve the functioning of NTA would be notified soon, the minister said.

About the cancellation of the UGC-NET examination for selection of junior research fellows, assistant professors and PhD scholars, Pradhan said the exam paper was leaked on Darknet.

“Let us have faith in our systems and no irregularities or malpractices will be tolerated by the government,” he said.

The NEET examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared for it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, saying the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720, unprecedented in the NTA’s history, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities.It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.