Ministry of Education Orders Probe Into UGC-NET Paper Leak

The Ministry of Education has ordered the National Testing Agency (NTA) to investigate allegations that the June 2026 University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) Sociology paper was leaked. The probe follows claims that a 100-page internal PDF used for setting the exam was circulated before the June 30 test, with nearly 90 questions reportedly matching the actual examination.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, alleged that the leaked paper was sold for 2.25 lakh rupees in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. He further claimed that the same network offered to provide papers for future exams, including the CSIR-NET, HTET, and ADA. Gandhi criticized the administration for a lack of accountability, linking this incident to previous leaks in the NEET-UG examination.

Concurrent with the leak allegations, candidates reported severe quality failures in the Sociology paper. These included grammatical errors, misspelled names of key sociologists, and inaccurate Hindi translations. Some candidates alleged that 67 of the 150 questions were copied from a 2024 exam. While the Ministry of Education has initiated an investigation, students and opposition figures have called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.