NTA reforms | Administrations should withhold permissions for rallies, processions on exam days: panel

File photo of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports chief Mukul Wasnik | Photo Credit: PTI

The district administrations should withhold permission for any rally, procession or public gathering on days of crucial competitive examinations to ensure smooth traffic and law-and-order arrangements are in place well in advance and no candidate is affected by external disturbances, a Parliamentary panel has recommended.

The recommendation was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik, while presenting a report on "Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency (NTA)" to the Rajya Sabha chairman on Friday (October 9, 2026).

The report follows a controversy surrounding the NEET paper leak and alleged administrative lapses in the NTA, which led to nationwide student protests and ultimately the resignation of then-education minister Dharmendra Pradhan