NTA leadership under lens, no paper leak in CSIR-NET: Union Education Minister

New Delhi: The "top leadership" of the National Testing Agency is under the scanner over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday even as he denied any paper leak in the CSIR-UGC NET, which was postponed a day back.

The minister said he is the custodian of students' interests and has to take that into account before taking any step. Amid a raging row over irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET, Pradhan had said earlier this week that he cannot jeopardise the careers of the lakhs of candidates who cleared the exam rightfully.

The June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and UGC-NET was postponed on Friday night. The Joint CSIR-UGC-NET is a test conducted to determine eligibility for junior research fellowship and assistant professor and admission to PhD in science courses.

"There was no leak in CSIR-UGC NET, it was postponed because of logistic issues. There is also a retest of 1,563 NEET candidates tomorrow. For smooth conduct of the exam everywhere, the decision was taken," Pradhan told reporters.
Asked about any inquiry into the NTA's role, Pradhan said, "I have already said there has been an institutional failure. I have taken responsibility. NTA's top leadership is under several types of questions. But I have to safeguard students' interests first. I am a custodian of their interests."

Earlier this week, the ministry sought a report from the Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit, which is investigating the allegations of a paper leak in NEET. "The report has not been received yet... But it is certain that nobody involved or responsible for any irregularity will be spared," he said.

On irregularities in Gujarat's Godhra, the minister said the issue in Godhra was not of a paper leak but of organised cheating and 30 students have been debarred. "Gujarat case is not of leak...police took preventive action, a few telephone conversations were intercepted. There were attempts to cheat, 30 students who have been found involved have been debarred. They are in addition to 63 students from across the country who were debarred from NEET for using unfair means," he said.

The Centre is under fire over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET. While the medical entrance exam question paper was allegedly leaked, a case being investigated by the Bihar Police, UGC-NET was cancelled a day after it was conducted following inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. The matter is being probed by the CBI. The education ministry on Saturday notified a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.
On Friday night, the Centre operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractice and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

Enforcing law against paper leak mere whitewash: Cong
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday termed the enforcement of the anti-paper leak law a "whitewash" and asserted that the BJP cannot evade its responsibility in "promoting corruption and education mafia".
In a post in Hindi on 'X', the Congress president claimed that 70 question papers were leaked in the last seven years and sought to know why the BJP has taken no action so far.

"No matter how much effort BJP makes in the NEET scam, it cannot escape its responsibility in promoting fraud, corruption and education mafia," Kharge said. He said the law against paper leaks got the President's assent on February 13 this year but was notified only on Friday night.
"When the education minister was asked about it in the press conference, he had said the law was notified... Why did the Education Minister of the Modi Government lie that the law has been notified when the Ministry of Law and Justice had yet to frame the rules?" Kharge asked.

He said the Union education minister first denied the paper leak and after arrests were made in Gujarat, Bihar, and Haryana, he said the exam will not be cancelled since papers were leaked locally in some places.
"The fact is that in 2015, 44 students were involved, yet the Pre-Medical Test was held again for six lakh candidates on the orders of the Supreme Court," the Congress president said.

He said that on NEET too, the Supreme Court has said if there has been even 0.001 fraud, then action should be taken.
"Why is the Modi government not conducting the exam again even though the education minister has admitted to the irregularities?" Kharge posed. "In nine days, NTA has cancelled or postponed three major exams. Even after passing the law, the leak of the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board's (UPPRPB) exam paper in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh has been found to be linked to a Gujarat company," he said.

The Congress president asked, "Why are (question) papers still being leaked despite a law being passed against it? When 70 papers were leaked in the last seven years, why did the Modi government not take any strict action against it?" "Bringing a new law is merely a whitewash by the BJP. Unless the education system and autonomous institutions are freed from the interference and negative influence of BJP-RSS, this fraud, theft and corruption will continue," Kharge said.