The NTA Paper Leaks and Why the Centralisation of Entrance Exams Has Failed Miserably

IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, paper leaks, examination glitches, discrepancies in the computation of marks, and mismanagement in conducting the examinations have become alarmingly commonplace. On May 30, 2026, due to a technical glitch, around 3,765 students couldn’t appear for the CUET (UG) examination, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (‘NTA’) — an autonomous body functioning under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. While admitting the glitch, NTA has ordered an inquiry into its causes, which would be conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (‘TCS’), responsible for conducting the exam. Finding the fault and fixing accountability would take some time; however, the CUET UG examination fiasco brings into sharp relief the deep rot in the idea and place of education in India. When considered in light of the NEET UG 2026 paper leak and CBSE answer-sheet mismatch to the SSC GD exam controversy, the present failure shows a tapestry rather than being an aberration.

Students from a remote rural region with an intersectional identity struggle to enroll in higher education and often travel far away from their homes to appear for an exam. They see these exams as an opportunity for aspiration and upward mobility. Ironically, these institutional failures shatter their dream, leading to mental health distress, financial debt, and even suicides – which the Supreme Court has acknowledged in a plea filed on the regulation of coaching industries.

When the above-flagged controversies are analysed in seriatim, what transpires is that centralisation of power has emerged as a common phenomenon across sectors, undermining the federal character of the Indian Constitution. So much so that states such as Tamil Nadu locked horns with the Union on the issue of the NEET examination. To appreciate how federalism – which is one of the basic structures of the Indian Constitution – applies here, one simply has to look at the scope of power which the Constitution provides to the Union and the states pertaining to legislation in their respective field. Education is listed in List III of the Seventh Schedule under Article 246(2) and both the Union and the states have shared responsibility for making laws. However, the implementation of the National Education Policy (‘NEP’), which took place without the Parliament’s approval, stands in the teeth of the constitutional structure.