India Opposition Seeks White Paper on Exam Leaks Amidst NTA Irregularities

Digvijaya Singh, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education and an opposition Congress lawmaker, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue a white paper on paper leaks and examination irregularities. The demand specifically targets exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the past eight years.

Singh stated that such a document would help restore confidence in the administration's commitment to delivering justice for India's students. The absence of a consolidated public record on paper leaks and subsequent actions has fueled rumors and speculation, particularly after the recent cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026. This cancellation, occurring nine days after 2.27 million students took the exam, followed confirmation by central agencies that the question paper had been compromised.

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Such transparency will act as a confidence-building measure among our youth.

The NEET-UG 2026 incident marks the second time in two years that the exam has faced integrity issues, prompting the NTA to involve the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and schedule a retest. Singh's proposed white paper should comprehensively outline the measures taken by the NTA and investigative agencies in each case, including the identities and status of those arrested, the progress of investigations, and whether charge sheets or closure reports have been filed. It should also clarify the trial status, bail, or conviction of accused individuals.

Singh emphasized the immense pressure faced by tens of thousands of students and called for transparency to rebuild faith in the examination system. Students have reportedly approached him with concerns about the lack of clarity surrounding investigations into exam irregularities. The NTA, established in 2018, has a history of issues, including technical glitches and errors in question papers, which have escalated in severity since 2024, culminating in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET integrity breaches.

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The absence of a consolidated public record on paper leaks and the action taken was a key concern among students following the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate) NEET-UG 2026 last month.