NEET Leak, CBSE Row, Now CUET Delay: Govt Faces Criticism Over Glitches In Examination System

Last Updated:May 30, 2026, 15:01 IST

The incident prompted attacks from opposition, who linked the delay to recent incidents of Neet leak, CBSE OSM issues and disruptions in SSC exam.

NTA Exam Row: The Narendra Modi-led Union Government faced fresh criticism over the conduction of national-level examinations on Saturday after a technical glitch delayed the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) 2026 at several centres across the country.

The disruption, which mainly affected the second shift of the examination, left students waiting beyond their scheduled reporting time. The National Testing Agency later attributed the delay to a technical issue reported by its technology partner, Tata Consultancy Services.

The incident prompted sharp attacks from opposition leaders, who linked the delay to recent controversies surrounding the NEET-UG examination, CBSE evaluation issues and disruptions in Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi CM Atishi launched a scathing attack on Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, seeing the CUET delay as yet another incident of mismanagement of national-level examinations.

“First NEET, then CBSE, now CUET," she said in one of a series of X posts, pointing towards the NEET-UG paper leak, and the controversies around the Class 12 marking system of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also echoed similar sentiments and launched an all out attack on the Centre.

“NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four exams. One crore children. Not a single one conducted with honesty," he said in a post on X.

He challenged the “claims of ‘Vishvaguru’", and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “completely ruined the entire education system".

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also joined the criticism, sharing Atishi’s post and commenting that the country needed an educated prime minister.

What NTA Said?

According to the revised schedule issued by the NTA, candidates for the afternoon session were asked to report from 2:30 pm, while the examination began at 4 pm instead of the originally scheduled 3 pm.

In its clarification, the NTA said TCS had reported a technical glitch that delayed the commencement of the examination at some centres on May 30. The agency said the issue had been resolved and that candidates would be given full compensatory time to ensure that no one was disadvantaged.

Earlier Rows

The CUET disruption comes weeks after the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of a paper leak. The controversy led to a CBI investigation and a re-examination scheduled for June 21. Separately, the CBSE’s digital evaluation system and recent SSC examinations have also faced criticism over operational issues.

The latest glitch has intensified opposition demands for greater accountability in the conduct of national-level examinations, while the government has maintained that corrective measures are being taken to ensure smooth conduct of future tests.

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