CBI Registers FIR After Centre Says UGC-NET Paper Leaked on Darknet

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the alleged irregularities in the recently-held UGC-NET Exam, filed an FIR against unidentified persons on a reference from the Union Education Ministry, on Thursday. 

Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 18 in two shifts across the country, the UGC-NET exam is the key to finding an entry-level teaching job in Indian universities and also for admissions to PhD programmes. 

A day after the conduct of exams, the Ministry of Education (MoE) on Wednesday announced the cancellation of the exam following inputs from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that “the integrity of the examination may have been compromised”. 

Over 9 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam across 317 cities this year. 

According to sources, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (l4C) that the paper was available on the darknet and was allegedly being sold for Rs 5-6 lakh on messaging platforms. 

They said the CBI will coordinate closely with the I4C while deploying its own darknet exploration software and systems to track the perpetrators. 

According to the complaint from the Education Ministry, the inputs from I4C, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, "prima-facie indicate that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised", officials said. 

"To ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has decided to cancel the aforesaid examination and to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a thorough investigation in the matter," the reference note from the Secretary, Education Ministry, K Sanjay Murthy was quoted by news agency PTI. The reference note is now part of the FIR. 

Alleged Irregularities in UGC-NET Exam

Candidates who appeared for the UGC-NET examination on June 18 flagged several discrepancies in the examination process. Republic spoke with several candidates who appeared for the exam, revealing a striking deviation from normal protocol. Despite explicit instructions printed on the question paper requiring candidates to surrender their admit cards post-exam, invigilators reportedly allowed candidates to retain them. 

Additionally, candidates highlighted another anomaly - the absence of carbon copies of their OMR sheets. Typically, in OMR-based tests, candidates receive a carbon copy of their filled OMR sheet after the exam to verify their responses and potentially challenge them if necessary. The lack of this standard practice further adds to the discrepancies observed during the UGC-NET June 2024 exam.