Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Opposition demands NTA disbandment after UGC-NET paper cancellations
Some big exams in India called UGC-NET were cancelled by the National Testing Agency, or NTA.
The exams were for subjects like Sociology, English and Commerce.
The NTA said the papers had mistakes and repeated old questions.
Thousands of students who studied for years must now take the exams again in September.
Many leaders from opposition parties are very angry about this.
They protested outside the NTA office in Delhi.
They want the NTA to be shut down completely.
Some leaders also blame the government's education policy.
They say students are being punished for mistakes the NTA made.
Other student groups also said students' futures should not be put at risk.
Opposition leaders attacked the Modi government over the cancellation of three UGC-NET papers in Sociology, English and Commerce.
NSUI and SFI protested outside the NTA office in Delhi, while RSS student wing ABVP expressed concern over students' futures.
Rahul Gandhi said the exams were held between 22 and 30 June and cancelled nearly two months later due to faulty papers and repeated old questions.
CPI general secretary D. Raja and other leaders demanded the NTA be disbanded and exams conducted through accountable public institutions.
The CPM repeated its demand to scrap the NTA and the National Education Policy 2020, calling NEP the root cause of decay in education.
- Who
- Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, D. Raja, Manish Sisodia and Priyanka Chaturvedi, along with student groups NSUI, SFI and ABVP.
- What
- Demanded the disbandment of the National Testing Agency after it cancelled three UGC-NET papers.
- When
- On Monday, after exams held between 22 and 30 June were cancelled nearly two months later; retests are set for September.
- Where
- India, with protests outside the NTA office in Delhi.
- Why
- Because the NTA cancelled the papers citing faulty questions and repeated old questions, following earlier NEET paper-leak controversies.
Opposition parties
Government-aligned voices
Future of the NTA
Opposition parties
The NTA is a compromised and corrupt body that cannot conduct exams with integrity and must be disbanded.
Government-aligned voices
ABVP, the RSS student wing, expressed concern but stopped short of demanding disbandment, saying students' futures cannot be compromised.
Repeated questions
Opposition parties
Repeating old questions shows faulty papers and incompetence, forcing students to resit exams.
Government-aligned voices
Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Ratna Singh noted that past-year questions are repeated in several competitive exams and aspirants are routinely advised to focus on previous-year questions.
- Cancelled exams
- UGC-NET papers in Sociology, English and Commerce
- Original exam dates
- 22-30 June
- Retest date
- September
- Protest location
- NTA office, Delhi
- Key demand
- Disbandment of the National Testing Agency
- Education minister
- Dharmendra Pradhan (resigned)
- Protesting groups
- NSUI, SFI, ABVP, CPM, CPI, AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT)