UGC-NET Question Paper Was Leaked On Darknet, Reveals Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed on Thursday evening that the decision to cancel UGC-NET (University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test) was taken after it was found that the question paper for the exam was leaked on darknet.

The dark web, or darknet, is a part of the Internet that is beyond the reach of search engines. Darknet users are mostly anonymous and untraceable, who pay with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin more often than not.

“Soon after it was clear that the UGC-NET question paper on darknet matches the original question paper of UGC-NET, we decided to cancel the examination,” Pradhan said during a press conference.

UGC-NET exam was conducted on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced its cancellation, saying that the “integrity of the examination may have been compromised.”

NTA conducts the UGC-NET exam to determine eligibility of candidates for awarding of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as assistant professor and admission to PhD in Indian universities and colleges.

Pradhan, who also addressed issues concerning the equally controversial NEET-UG exam, reiterated the Central government’s commitment to ensuring zero-error exam.