SRINAGAR: In one of the biggest administrative actions taken in the wake of the NEET paper leak controversy, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has terminated the services of 47 officials and is preparing to initiate legal and criminal proceedings against several others found to be linked to alleged irregularities, official sources said on Friday.
The sweeping action comes a day after Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi was transferred to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, amid mounting criticism over the handling of the examination crisis.
According to senior government officials, the NTA is undergoing a comprehensive restructuring aimed at restoring the credibility of the country’s premier entrance examination system.
*”The NTA is set to undergo a complete overhaul. At least 47 officials have been terminated, and legal as well as criminal proceedings will be initiated against some of them wherever evidence of wrongdoing has emerged,”* a senior official said.
The move is part of a wider clean-up exercise following allegations of question paper leaks, examination malpractice and administrative lapses that have triggered nationwide outrage. Authorities are also reviewing the agency’s internal functioning, examination security protocols and accountability mechanisms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The controversy has intensified public anger, with students and parents questioning the integrity of the examination process. Student organisations have accused the NTA of failing to ensure a fair and transparent conduct of the country’s largest medical entrance examination and have demanded stringent action against those responsible.
The crackdown comes even as protests continue at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. Members of the **Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)**, along with students and civil society activists, have been staging demonstrations against the alleged paper leak and examination irregularities. Protesters have demanded an independent probe into the scandal, strict punishment for those involved, greater transparency in the conduct of competitive examinations and comprehensive reforms in the examination system.
The latest action is expected to be the first in a series of reforms, with the Centre likely to announce additional measures in the coming days to strengthen the functioning of the NTA and restore public confidence in the country’s competitive examination framework.
