UGC-NET Retest for 3 Subjects in September After Errors, Centre Tells HC

The Central Government on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that a retest will be conducted for three subjects of the UGC-NET June 2026 examination, following complaints of errors in the question papers. The retest covers Sociology, English, and Commerce.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told the court that the English and Commerce papers will be held on September 9, while the Sociology paper will be held on September 10. He made the statement during a hearing on a petition filed by a candidate who appeared for the Sociology paper on June 30.

The petitioner, Aman Singh Yadav, had sought a stay on the declaration of results and an independent probe into alleged paper leaks before the examination. The plea also requested a re-conduct of the exam for the affected subjects if the leak was confirmed.

Justice Jasmeet Singh disposed of the petition after recording the Solicitor General's statement. "In view of the statement of the Solicitor General, the prayer in the petition does not survive and the petition is disposed of," the court said.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the UGC-NET June 2026 examination from June 22 to 30 across 87 subjects for award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), eligibility for assistant professor, and admission to PhD programmes.

The petitioner's lawyer argued that his client had already submitted a representation to the NTA regarding serious errors in the question paper and the alleged leak, but received no response. The plea also sought a direction for a CBI or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged leak.

The CBI was represented by standing counsel Premtosh Mishra during the proceedings.

In a public notice, the NTA said it had received several complaints about multiple errors in the question papers of the three subjects and formed a committee to examine the issues. The retest decision is based on the committee's findings.

The UGC-NET is a crucial examination for thousands of aspirants seeking academic careers in Indian universities and colleges. This is not the first time the NTA has faced scrutiny; the agency has announced an overhaul of its examination system in the wake of previous controversies, including allegations of paper leaks in other exams.

The fresh controversy has drawn flak for the NTA, with experts questioning the reliability of computer-based tests conducted by the agency. However, the decision to re-conduct the exams is seen as a step towards addressing the concerns raised by candidates.

Affected candidates have been advised to check the official NTA website for further details about the retest, including admit cards and exam centre information. The NTA has said the revised schedule will be communicated in due course.