What exactly is a paper leak? Parliamentary panel corners NTA, demands disclosure since 2018

Officials from the NTA appeared before the committee headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, where they were asked to respond in writing to a set of detailed queries by June 10.

New Delhi: The Parliamentary Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports has asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to clearly spell out what it considers a “paper leak” and also confirm whether any such incident has taken place in examinations conducted by it since 2018.

The direction comes at a time when the NEET-UG 2024 case continues to be examined across different levels of the education system.

According to people familiar with the matter, officials from the NTA appeared before the committee headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, where they were asked to respond in writing to a set of detailed queries by June 10. The committee has been examining multiple concerns surrounding the conduct of national-level examinations and the systems used to maintain confidentiality and fairness.

During the interaction, NTA officials said that no paper leak had taken place from within the agency’s system. They also told the panel that some of the questions that surfaced before examinations were part of guess papers and not the actual examination content.

The agency’s stand was placed on record as the committee continued its examination of alleged irregularities surrounding NEET-UG 2024, which is under investigation by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Panel seeks clarity on definition and process

An important point raised by the committee was the lack of a uniform definition of what qualifies as a paper leak. Members asked the NTA to clarify its internal understanding of the term and to provide details of any incidents recorded since 2018. Along with this, the committee has also sought details on whether the agency has conducted any independent inquiry into allegations of irregularities in NEET-UG 2024 beyond ongoing external investigations.

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The panel has asked for a written submission covering these points and set a deadline of June 10 for compliance. Officials have also been directed to share details of staff strength over the past three years, recruitment carried out since 2022 and copies of annual reports submitted to the Department of Higher Education during the same period.

Review of reforms and earlier recommendations

The committee has also asked for a detailed update on the implementation of 101 recommendations made by a high-level committee led by former ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan. That expert panel was formed in June 2024 to suggest improvements in examination conduct, transparency systems, institutional functioning and data security within the testing system.

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Members of the committee are reviewing how many of these recommendations have been acted upon and what steps are still pending. The focus, according to officials, is to assess whether procedural changes have been absorbed into the present examination structure or are still in transition.

CBSE asked to respond on OSM system

In parallel, the committee has also sought written replies from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on issues related to the OSM system used in examinations. The board has been asked to respond by June 8.

Lawmakers have raised questions about reported changes across different Requests for Proposals issued for the system and whether proper background checks were carried out before awarding contracts, including to COEMPT EduTeck.

The committee has also sought clarity on whether the CBSE was aware of past associations involving COEMPT EduTeck and Globarena Technologies, whose evaluation software had earlier come under scrutiny in connection with the 2019 Telangana Intermediate results.

In addition, it has asked for documents related to RFPs issued in February, May and August 2025, which, according to sources, are yet to be fully shared.

The committee has also sought updates on action taken after reports submitted by observers during OSM dry runs, and whether those findings were shared with the Ministry of Education.