UGC-NET Exam: Telegram Confirms Blocking Paper Leak Channels

• The UGC-NET, 2024, exam for the selection of junior research fellows, assistant professors and PhD scholars was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 18 in two shifts across the country.
• The next day, the University Grants Commission received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (l4C), which functions under the Union Home Ministry, that the paper was available on the darknet and was allegedly being sold on messaging platforms.
• On Thursday, the CBI registered an FIR into the UGC-NET paper leak case against unidentified persons on a reference from the Union Education Ministry.
• Addressing a press conference, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed that the leaked question paper circulated on Telegram matched the original. “Fresh examination shall be conducted, for which information shall be shared separately,” the government said.

The CBI will reportedly work in close coordination with the I4C while initiating its own darknet exploration softwares and systems to nail down the perpetrators. According to the complaint from the Education Ministry, the inputs from I4C, “prima-facie indicate that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised”, officials said, according to News18.

It was also reported that multiple links were shared with the Education Ministry, where the material was for sale. The paper was made available to several groups many days before the exam. Screenshots of some Telegram groups, chats, and payments have also been shared on social media.