Centre removes NTA chief Subodh Kumar Singh amid massive row over NEET-UG and UGC NET exams
New Delhi: The Centre has dismissed Subodh Kumar Singh, the chief of the National Testing Agency (NTA), amid the massive controversy over alleged irregularities in the NEET and UGC-NET examinations.
Singh has been placed on "compulsory wait" in the Department of Personnel and Training, while retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed as the new director general of the exam body.
The NTA is responsible for conducting the NEET, UGC-NET, CUET, and JEE (Main) exams.
Kharola, a 1985 batch IAS officer, has previously served as the Civil Aviation secretary.
Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, IAS (KN:85) (Retd.) assigned charge of Director General, National Testing Agency, Ministry of Education. pic.twitter.com/No86pM9Gfr
— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) June 22, 2024
This appointment comes amid widespread protests after it was revealed that the NEET question paper had been leaked in some states on the eve of the exam.
The NEET-PG 2024 exam, scheduled for June 23, has also been postponed.
The NEET-UG results faced scrutiny after 67 candidates attained perfect scores of 720/720.
Further, controversy arose over the awarding of grace marks to more than 1,500 students, leading to widespread protests and legal actions.
The Supreme Court has strongly criticised the NTA's handling of the situation.
Earlier this week, the NTA cancelled the UGC-NET exam, citing its "compromised integrity" after the question paper, taken by 900,000 candidates across 317 cities on June 18, was found to have been leaked on the darknet.
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