The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the postponement of the CSIR UGC NET 2024 exam, which was originally slated to take place from June 25 to 27. This update follows the successful completion of the UGC NET June 2024 exams.
In an official notice issued on June 21, the NTA cited “unavoidable circumstances as well as logistic issues” as the reasons for the delay.
The agency assured candidates that the new exam dates will be communicated soon via the official website, csirnet.nta.ac.in.
The UGC-NET exam, conducted on Tuesday, was leaked two days prior on Sunday and sold for Rs 6 lakh on the dark web and encrypted social media platforms, as reported by sources from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Education Ministry, already facing criticism over issues with the NEET-UG test, quickly nullified the NET exam following information from a federal anti-cybercrime unit.
The origins of the leak are still unknown, and the CBI is working with the National Testing Agency (NTA), which oversees competitive exams, to investigate. Coaching centres, which many candidates attend at significant cost, are also under investigation, with CBI officers planning to visit several in different states.
Also Read: UGC-NET exam paper was leaked on Sunday on dark web, encrypted social media platforms: CBI
On Thursday, the CBI filed its first information report (FIR) against unknown individuals based on the ministry’s complaint, suggesting that “the integrity of the examination may have been compromised.” Following the cancellation of the UGC-NET, authorities suspect a large-scale corruption racket behind the leaked papers, prompting an investigation into the officials responsible for conducting the exam, including those who set the questions.
In response to the leak, students staged protests across university campuses nationwide, alleging they had reported the leaks days before the exam, but no action was taken. At Lucknow University, students claimed a leaked paper was available for Rs 5,000 and was shared via WhatsApp and Telegram groups since June 16. The UGC-NET, a qualifying exam for professorial posts in colleges and universities, had over 11 lakh registered candidates this year.
The NET controversy compounds the ongoing NEET-UG scandal, where allegations of leaked question papers, grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates, and an unusually high number of perfect scores have led to protests and petitions currently being heard by the Supreme Court. In the NEET case, four individuals, including Anurag Yadav, a candidate, have been arrested in Bihar. Yadav, who prepared at a coaching centre in Kota, Rajasthan, revealed that his uncle, Sikandar Yadavendu, assured him that his result had been “sorted.”
