The National Testing Agency (NTA) has remained under intense scrutiny ever since the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak. As hundreds of students took to the streets
demanding accountability from an examination system that failed to prevent another paper leak, the government promised action. On July 24, a day before the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister, the NTA terminate the services of 47 employees as part of its restructuring exercise. While the move was presented as a major step towards fixing the testing agency, what Times Now Digital has learnt from several affected employees paints a very different picture. Those who spoke to Times Now Digital said that every employee who was removed belonged to the contractual or outsourced workforce. According to them, not a single permanent NTA employee lost his or her job. Allegedly those terminated included examination consultants, junior consultants, office assistants, TSG personnel, multi-tasking staff (MTS), housekeeping staff, maintenance workers and other support employees. Reportedly, 44 contractual and outsourced employees were relieved of their duties, while three contractual employees were allegedly retained at the last moment. According to multiple sources, employees arriving at the NTA headquarters in Delhi's Okhla on July 25 allegedly found three policemen stationed at the entrance. The policemen were reportedly checking every employee's identity card against a list of 44 employees whose services had been terminated. Those whose names appeared on the list were allegedly stopped from entering the office, their ID cards were taken away immediately and they were asked to leave the premises. Several affected employees also claimed that they were not even allowed to collect their personal belongings from their workstations and that repeated attempts to seek assistance from their reporting managers have gone unanswered. It has now been nearly 10 days since the terminations. According to the affected employees, many of them have still not received any official termination letter, formal order or written communication explaining the reasons for their removal. While the Centre projected the mass termination as decisive action to restore public confidence in the examination system, several terminated employees claim that only the lowest rung of the organisation has been made to bear the consequences. The employees allege that no comparable action has so far been taken against permanent officials or those who may have had a role in the alleged paper leak or other examination-related discrepancies. Times Now Digital is in possession of termination letters issued to the third-party ageny which outsourced these employees. Many of those removed had reportedly worked with the NTA for five to eight years and claimed to have played key roles in conducting several national-level examinations. They said they received Form 16 every year, regularly filed income tax returns and had worked continuously for the organisation for several years. For many, the job was the sole source of income for their families.
What Happened During UGC NET 2026?
In their complaint, the terminated employees have also raised concerns regarding the role of Col. Vijay Kumar (Retd.) and Balbir Singh in connection with the alleged NEET UG and UGC NET examination irregularities. The employee said that the final question paper is ordinarily prepared inside a confidential room where mobile phones are prohibited and that even the 'press copy' is generated under strict confidentiality. According to the employee, only Col. Vijay Kumar's team was authorised to take the question paper outside the confidential room for preparation of the press copy in his cabin.
"It is suspected that it was during this time that someone photographed the question paper using a mobile phone, after which those images were circulated online. However, till today, nobody has questioned the two people involved in this," the employee alleged. Another terminated employee also alleged that the CCTV cameras inside Col. Vijay Kumar's room had been covered with black tape.
Times Now Digital has not independently verified these allegations.
Complaint to the Chief Labour Commissioner
The terminated employees have now approached the Chief Labour Commissioner. They have urged the Government of India to order an independent and impartial inquiry into the matter. They have requested that the investigation examine not only the terminated employees but also the entire chain of decision-making, the role of senior officials, and the basis on which the terminations were carried out. If responsibility or negligence is established at any level, they have sought action strictly in accordance with the law.
"We have always served the National Testing Agency with integrity, dedication, and commitment. We sincerely hope that justice will prevail through a transparent, impartial, and lawful process, and that innocent employees will not continue to suffer for actions in which they had no involvement," the complainants stated.
Times Now Digital has reached out to the National Testing Agency seeking its response to the allegations made by the terminated employees. At the time of publishing, we had still not received their response.
