After NEET, UGC NET 2026 paper allegedly leaked, Education Ministry orders probe; Rahul Gandhi claims PDF sold for Rs 2.25 lakh

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing fresh scrutiny following allegations of a paper leak in the UGC-NET June 2026 examination. The claims come just weeks after the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and complaints from candidates about errors and typos in the UGC-NET question papers.

According to sources, the Education Ministry has directed the NTA to investigate allegations that a 100-page PDF, allegedly linked to the setting of the UGC-NET Sociology question paper, was circulated before the examination. The allegations claim that nearly 90 questions in the document matched those that appeared in the actual paper.

NTA officials did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment until the filing of the report.

Rahul Gandhi raises issue over alleged leak

The controversy intensified on Wednesday after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the government over the allegations. Sharing a media report on X, Gandhi claimed that a PDF related to the question paper setting, which he said should have been accessible only to the NTA, had surfaced before the examination.

"The serious allegations that have surfaced regarding last week's UGC-NET exam are utterly shocking. Just a few weeks after the NEET paper leak, reports are now emerging that a 100-page PDF was circulated right before the UGC-NET exam," Gandhi said.

He further alleged that the question paper was being sold for Rs 2.25 lakh in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. Gandhi also claimed that the same network had offered to provide question papers for upcoming examinations, including CSIR-NET, HTET and ADA.

Allegations follow concerns over question paper quality

The latest claims come amid heightened scrutiny of high-stakes examinations after the NEET-UG paper leak triggered a political controversy and prompted the government to promise stronger safeguards.

More recently, candidates who appeared for the UGC-NET Sociology examination alleged that the paper contained multiple spelling mistakes, distorted names of prominent thinkers and inaccurate Hindi translations, raising concerns over quality checks during question paper preparation and moderation.

UGC-NET determines eligibility for academic positions

The UGC-NET is conducted by the National Testing Agency to determine eligibility for assistant professorships, Junior Research Fellowships and admission to PhD programmes.