New Delhi: The Union government on Friday sacked 47 officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid nationwide youth protests over alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations.
The agency has not disclosed the ranks or positions held by the officials whose services were terminated.
The National Testing Agency is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education and conducts several competitive examinations, including the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges and the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).
Authorities will initiate “legal and criminal action” against the officials to send a “strong message”, The Indian Express reported, quoting unidentified persons aware of the matter.
The Hindu quoted officials as saying that more “reformative actions” would also be taken.
Reacting to the development, a spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party said that “it’s from top” and called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The action came on the same day the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to amend the 2024 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act. The draft legislation proposes tougher penalties and time-bound trial mechanisms to deal with cases involving paper leaks.
Youth protesters in Delhi, led by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign, and in several other cities have been demanding the resignation of Pradhan over the issue.
On Wednesday, the government informed Parliament that 15 of the 39 permanent posts at the National Testing Agency were vacant.
So far in 2026, the agency has conducted 12 examinations for which 65 lakh candidates had registered.
In the financial year 2023-24, the National Testing Agency recorded an income of Rs 1,116 crore and expenditure of Rs 1,040 crore, according to data provided by the Education Ministry in the Rajya Sabha.