A day after the Union Education Ministry ordered the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR regarding the matter on Thursday. The Centre decided to cancel the exam, citing that its "integrity" had been compromised.
This development occurs amidst an ongoing controversy over irregularities in the NEET medical entrance examination.
During a press conference on Thursday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed that the UGC-NET exam paper had been leaked on the Darknet.Â
"Once it became evident that the UGC-NET question paper on the Darknet matched the original question paper of the UGC-NET exam, we made the decision to cancel the examination," Pradhan stated. "We take full responsibility and must rectify the system," he added.
The Darknet is an encrypted segment of the internet that is not accessible to the public through traditional search engines.
The UGC-NET exam is critical as it determines the eligibility of candidates for junior research fellowships, positions as assistant professors, and admission to PhD programs in universities and colleges. This year's exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 18, saw a record registration of 11 lakh students.
Pradhan announced that a high-level committee would be established to investigate the matter and examine the functioning of the NTA, which also conducts the NEET exam.
"Several irregularities have come to the government's attention... Our foremost priority is the interest of the students," the Union Minister emphasized. "The high-level committee will provide recommendations to improve the NTA's structure, operations, examination process, transparency, and data security protocols," he added.
Following the announcement of the UGC-NET exam's cancellation, massive protests erupted across the country. Members of various student groups gathered outside Lucknow University to protest against the Centre and called for the resignation of the Education Minister.
The Opposition, including parties like the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), accused both the NTA and the Centre of jeopardizing the future of students.
