Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) Sociology paper was leaked before the examination and called for an investigation into the matter.
In a post on X, Gandhi claimed that a 100-page PDF containing questions related to the Sociology paper was circulated shortly before the June 30 examination. He alleged that nearly 90 questions in the document matched those that appeared in the actual exam and further claimed that the paper was being sold for ₹2.25 lakh in parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The Congress leader also alleged that the same network was involved in providing question papers for other competitive examinations, including CSIR-NET, HTET and ADA recruitment exams. Referring to previous examination controversies, including the NEET-UG paper leak, Gandhi criticised the central government, alleging that it had failed to address repeated concerns over examination security.
His allegations cited a report by Dainik Bhaskar, which claimed that the Sociology question paper had been leaked before the examination. According to the report, two student leaders in Rohtak displayed what they said was the leaked paper in a video and claimed that one of the sets of questions matched those asked in the exam.
As of now, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the UGC-NET examination, has not issued an official response to the allegations.
Separately, several candidates who appeared for the Sociology examination have raised concerns about the quality of the question paper. On social media, candidates alleged that it contained multiple spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and poorly worded questions.
Some candidates also claimed that several names of prominent sociologists and scholars were misspelled. Others alleged that a significant number of questions closely resembled those asked in previous examinations, with one candidate claiming that at least 67 out of 150 questions were similar to those from the 2024 exam.
These allegations have not been independently verified. The NTA has yet to comment on the claims regarding the alleged paper leak, the reported errors in the question paper or the similarities with previous examinations.
The matter comes amid continued scrutiny of the examination system following controversies surrounding other national-level competitive exams. Any further action will depend on the findings of the relevant authorities and the NTA's official response.
Sources: Hindustan Times
