NTA terminates 47 officials in major overhaul after NEET paper leak row: Report

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency on Friday terminated 47 officials as part of a major internal overhaul following the controversy over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, according to a media report citing sources. Further action is expected against more officials as the agency restructures its operations, India TV reported. The action comes amid continuing protests in Delhi and other parts of the country over the handling of the medical entrance examination. The report said the NTA was also considering legal and criminal action against some of the officials. It added that more “reformative actions” would be taken and the agency’s outsourcing model would be revamped. However, the report did not disclose the names or designations of the terminated officials. It also did not specify whether they were permanent employees, officials on deputation or personnel engaged through contractual arrangements. No details were provided about the charges against individual officials or whether all 47 had been found responsible for lapses linked directly to the NEET paper leak. The report also did not cite a termination order or an official statement from the NTA or the Union Education Ministry. The figure of 47 terminations is, therefore, based on information attributed to unnamed sources. Outsourcing system may be reviewed The proposed changes to the outsourcing model could become an important part of the restructuring, although the report did not explain the nature or extent of the planned overhaul. The NTA uses a large network of examination centres, service providers and personnel to conduct national-level entrance and eligibility examinations involving lakhs of candidates. Questions over supervision, accountability and coordination with external agencies have repeatedly emerged whenever an examination faces security or logistical failures. The report did not say whether existing contracts would be cancelled, whether vendors would face fresh scrutiny or whether more examination-related functions would be brought directly under the agency’s control. It also gave no timeline for completing the review. Supreme Court seeks detailed reform plan The reported terminations came on a day the Supreme Court examined petitions seeking structural changes in the NTA following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy. A Bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked the Centre and the NTA to file a fresh and comprehensive affidavit detailing the progress made on examination reforms. The court sought information about measures relating to transparency, digital infrastructure, security and institutional governance. It also indicated that it would closely monitor the reform process and stressed that examination security could not continue to depend on ad hoc responses after every controversy. The matter was adjourned to August 3. The Centre told the court that it was finalising measures that could go beyond the recommendations of the high-level committee headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Radhakrishnan. The committee had been formed after the examination-related controversies of 2024 to recommend reforms in the NTA’s functioning, examination security, data protection and administrative structure. Recruitment under way for senior positions The agency has simultaneously begun a recruitment exercise for various positions on deputation. A vacancy notification is listed on the NTA’s official notice board. A separate report earlier this month said the NTA was seeking candidates for nine senior posts as part of an exercise described as an attempt to “build a new NTA” and restore public trust after the NEET controversy. The current restructuring builds on an exercise that began after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy. The Centre had approved the creation of 16 senior administrative positions in the agency in October 2024, but the latest paper leak again raised questions over whether the earlier reforms had been implemented effectively. NEET examination was cancelled and held again The NEET-UG 2026 examination was originally conducted on May 3 for more than 22 lakh medical aspirants. The NTA later cancelled the examination after concerns emerged over the integrity of the question paper and the circulation of material that allegedly contained questions appearing in the test. The Centre also ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter. The examination was subsequently conducted again on June 21 under heightened security arrangements. The measures included closer surveillance, biometric checks, stricter supervision of centres and enhanced monitoring of online claims relating to the examination. The NTA’s official archive also records notices concerning the re-examination, answer-key challenges, examination-fee refunds and measures introduced for the secure conduct of the test. Protests continue over accountability The controversy has led to protests by students, political parties and civil society groups. Demonstrators have demanded action against those responsible for the leak and wider reform of the national examination system. The Cockroach Janta Party-led protest at Jantar Mantar had entered its 26th day on Thursday. The campaign has demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability for the repeated failures surrounding high-stakes examinations. The issue has also led to repeated confrontations between the government and Opposition parties inside and outside Parliament. In another administrative change, the Centre replaced Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi with Naresh Pal Gangwar amid the continuing controversy. Joshi had previously headed both the Central Board of Secondary Education and the NTA.