Who Is NTA Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi? Supreme Court Pulls Up NTA Over NEET-UG 2026 Leak, Says Agency ‘Hasn’t Learnt Its Lesson’

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The NEET exam leaks have been the talk of the town, with even the Supreme Court criticising the issue. On Monday, May 25, 2026, the court pulled up the NTA over repeated paper leak cases, saying the agency had not learnt its lesson. This came after the recent NEET-UG paper leak controversy. The NEET-UG 2026 exam was cancelled following allegations linked to a circulated “guess paper,” and the re-exam is now scheduled for June 21. The matter will next be heard on May 29.

Lakhs of students appeared for the examination, but will now have to take the test again. The NTA has also faced tough questions from the media, students, and politicians. Exam leaks have become increasingly common, with several such incidents being reported in recent years. People are now also questioning NTA Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi, as the latest controversy has added to the growing criticism surrounding the agency.

Who is Pradeep Kumar Joshi?

Pradeep Kumar Joshi is currently serving as the Chairman of the NTA, the body responsible for conducting major entrance examinations across India. He was appointed to the post in August 2023 by the Ministry of Education.

Before joining the NTA, Joshi served as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He had also earlier headed both the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Public Service Commissions. With decades of experience in academics and administration, he has held several important education and government positions throughout his career.

See Also: NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak? Rajasthan SOG Probe Finds Over 100 Questions of the Exam Similar to ‘Guess Paper’

Born in Bombay on April 5, 1957, Joshi originally hails from Almora, Uttarakhand, but completed his education in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He started his career as a teacher before moving into key administrative and academic roles in universities and public institutions.

NEET-UG 2024 controversy

The NEET-UG 2024 controversy began after allegations surfaced that the exam paper had been leaked before the examination held on May 5, 2024. The issue first came to light in Bihar, where police arrested several people accused of distributing solved question papers to students in exchange for large amounts of money. Reports claimed that some candidates had paid lakhs of rupees to access leaked papers and answer keys before entering examination centres.

The controversy became bigger after the results were declared on June 4, 2024. Many students and parents questioned how 67 candidates secured a perfect score of 720 out of 720. The National Testing Agency later clarified that these marks were due to “grace marks” given to some candidates for loss of examination time at certain centres. As protests and criticism increased across the country, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation.

UGC-NET 2024 controversy

In June 2024, the Ministry of Education suddenly cancelled the UGC-NET examination shortly after it was conducted on June 18, 2024. The cancellation happened after inputs from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) suggested that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised due to an alleged paper leak.

The examination, conducted by the NTA, was attended by more than 9 lakh candidates across the country. The decision created panic among students and parents, especially because the NTA was already facing criticism over the NEET-UG controversy. Political parties and student organisations strongly criticised the government and the NTA, accusing them of failing to protect the integrity of major national examinations.

NEET-UG 2026 controversy

In the recent case as well, the examination was cancelled after allegations of another major paper leak surfaced. The NEET-UG 2026 examination, held on May 3, 2026, was attended by around 22.7 lakh candidates across India and abroad.

The controversy began after Rajasthan Police found a handwritten “guess paper” that allegedly contained more than 100 questions similar to the actual NEET paper. Reports claimed the material started circulating among students in Rajasthan’s Sikar area two days before the examination. Following the allegations, the matter was handed over to the CBI for investigation.

See Also: 3 May 2026 NEET UG Exam Cancelled Following Alleged ‘Guess Paper’ Leak; CBI Probe Ordered

Although the NTA initially claimed the exam was conducted under strict security measures, including biometric checks, AI-assisted CCTV monitoring and GPS-tracked transportation of question papers, the agency later cancelled the examination after receiving inputs from central agencies. The NTA announced that a re-examination would now be conducted and promised refunds for the fees already paid by candidates.

Apart from the NEET and UGC-NET controversies, the NTA also faced criticism over repeated examination failures and paper leak allegations in 2024. Due to growing concerns over the credibility of national-level exams, the government removed the NTA Director General and formed a seven-member panel to suggest structural and technological reforms in the examination system.

During June 2024, the NTA also postponed the Joint CSIR-UGC-NET examination, while the Health Ministry postponed the NEET-PG exam after reports emerged about fraudulent groups claiming to have access to question papers before the examinations.

Another controversy linked to Pradeep Kumar Joshi surfaced online in 2021 after Anjali Birla, daughter of Om Birla, was included in the UPSC consolidated reserve list despite not appearing in the original list of selected candidates announced in August 2020. Social media users alleged that the selection process lacked transparency because the criteria used for preparing the reserve list were not publicly explained. Several online posts also claimed that Anjali Birla had allegedly benefited from political influence and secured her position through “backdoor channels.” However, no official evidence or proof has been presented to support these allegations.

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