UGC-NET Retest for Sociology, English, Commerce After Errors: Govt Tells HC

The central government on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that a retest will be conducted for three subjects of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), which was held in June this year. The decision covers Sociology, English, and Commerce, following complaints of errors in the question papers. The submission was made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before Justice Jasmeet Singh, who was hearing a petition filed by a candidate challenging the exam process.

Mehta stated that the English and Commerce papers are scheduled to be held on September 9, while the Sociology paper will be conducted on September 10. He added that the government has decided to conduct the retest to address the concerns raised by the petitioner and other affected candidates. The Solicitor General also said that this decision should resolve the grievance, and requested the court to dispose of the petition.

Justice Jasmeet Singh took note of the submission and disposed of the plea. The petitioner, a student who appeared for the Sociology exam, had sought a stay on the declaration of results until an independent probe was conducted and the exam was re-conducted. The petition alleged a paper leak and multiple errors in the question paper, which the candidate claimed compromised the integrity of the examination.

Earlier, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had issued a public notice acknowledging that it had received several complaints about errors in the question papers for Sociology, English, and Commerce. The agency, which administers the UGC-NET on behalf of the UGC, said it had constituted a committee to investigate the matter. However, the committee's findings have not yet been made public, and it is unclear whether the retest decision was based on its recommendations.

The UGC-NET is a common entrance examination for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for assistant professorships and for awarding Junior Research Fellowships. The exam is held twice a year, typically in June and December, and is conducted by the NTA across numerous centres in the country. Given the scale of the exam, any irregularity can affect a large number of aspirants, making the assurance of a re-conducted test a significant step for the affected candidates.

With the court's disposal of the petition, the government is expected to proceed with the retest as announced. For candidates who appeared in the three subjects, the schedule for the new exams is now clear. Those who took the other subjects can expect the results to be declared in due course. The NTA has been advised to publish detailed instructions on its official website, including information about admit cards and exam centres.

While this development provides immediate relief, broader concerns about the handling of the examination remain. The alleged paper leak and the errors in the question papers are still under internal review by the NTA committee. The government has not yet announced any independent investigation, and the affected students have not received a detailed explanation of what went wrong. This incident also underscores the need for more robust mechanisms to prevent such issues in future national-level examinations.

The retest will be open to all candidates who had registered for the June examination in these subjects. The NTA is expected to release the admit cards and schedule details shortly. Candidates are advised to keep checking the official NTA website for updates.