Exam Cancellation Row: AIIMS Recruitment Exam Gets Cancelled on Accounts of Technical Lacunas in Jaipur

THE EXAM-RELATED FIASCOS doesn’t seem to end in our country, as the All India Institute of Medical sciences (AIIMS) Common Recruitment Examinations (CRE)-5 was disrupted at a centre in Sitapura area, Jaipur on Monday August 31, 2026, followed by serious outrage among the candidates demanding the cancellation of the AIIMS CRE-5 examination. The CRE-5 exam scheduled on Monday was severely disrupted at this centre due to a server failure. As a result, the candidates were compelled to start the exam at a later time.

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This technical glitch, however, could not escape the candidates’ anger and criticism, as the same centre witnessed an internal power failure forcing the cancellation of the NEET-PG 2026 exam scheduled a day earlier—August 30, 2026. Around 2,445 candidates had appeared for the NEET-PG exam at this centre, which was then rescheduled on September 5 at 3 p.m in Jaipur. This subsequent disruption in the scheduled exams have seriously enraged the candidates, and has brought about serious criticisms from political commentators across the country.

What Happened at the Sitapura Exam Centre in Jaipur

On August 31, 2026, the AIIMS CRE-5 exams were held across the country. At a centre in Sitapura, Jaipur, the examination process was severely disrupted due to a technical glitch. The exam centre is an iON Digital Zone facility which is used for the computer-based tests (CBT)—where both the NEET-PG 2026 (August 30, 2026) and the AIIMS CRE-5 (August 31, 2026) were scheduled. 

On August 31, 2026, two centres were affected at the iON Digital Zone in Sitpaura, Jaipur—RJ0101 and RJ0102. This centre was operated by Tata Consultancy Services—an agency which manages the computer-based and technical aspects of the competitive exams across the country. Around 2,000 candidates were registered at the two centres, of which 1342 appeared at the RJ0101, and 436 at RJ0102.

While the NEET-PG exam was disrupted due to an internal power supply issue, the exam on August 31 was reportedly affected by a server failure. The exam was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m, started around 30 minutes late and was reportedly disrupted by repeated system shutdown. Soon several students staged a protest outside the exam centre and demanded a refund of exam fees, closure of the facility, alongside the conduction of a re-test under proper conditions.

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AIIMS Delhi issued a statement on this incident stating that, after the initial disruption, power supply was restored and the centre was made ready for resuming the exam. However, the examination could not be continued due to the circumstances that developed at the centre. According to a report by Times of India, AIIMS reportedly stated that, ”Although the power supply was subsequently restored and the centre was made ready for resumption of the examination, (it) could not be continued due to the circumstances that developed at the centre.” 

The Exam Disruption and the Aftermath

AIIMS cancelled the exam in the two centres at Sitapura, and announced the re-examination for the affected candidates on September 7, 2026. Additionally, AIIMS also directed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)—which manages the exam centres—to submit a detailed report on the entire incident. It has asked TCS to provide the detailed system logs, CCTV footage, and control room communications in order to facilitate a comprehensive analysis of the disruption on August 31. 

These developments taking place over the past two days have once again raised concerns on the potential constraints of our examination system, and its infrastructural gaps. However, beyond the steadfast response to mitigate exam disruptions, there lies a world where the stark realities of the candidates’ lives and their struggles reside quietly; without any amplification and much discussion.

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