In the wake of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union Education Minister following protests against examination irregularities, questions are now being raised on the role of National Testing Agency (NTA) Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi.

While NTA Director-General Abhishek Singh has been at the forefront of damage control — navigating the fallout of the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (Undergraduate) [NEET (UG)] paper leak and managing the execution of a re-examination — Mr. Joshi’s conspicuous absence from the public eye has drawn sharp criticism.

Mr. Joshi was appointed Chairman of the NTA in August 2023, after stints heading the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC), the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC), and the Union Public Service Commission. However, Opposition leaders, former government officials, and activists have questioned his actions as the Chairman of the State bodies and have alleged political recommendations for his appointments.

Political links

Right to Information disclosures regarding Mr. Joshi’s links to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were obtained by VYAPAM scam whistleblower Ajay Dubey from the government of Madhya Pradesh, when Mr. Joshi was appointed the Chairman of MPPSC way back in 2006.  “These documents obtained from M.P. government were issued by the M.P. Police to the government when it instituted a background check on Mr. Joshi. They trace Mr. Joshi’s appointment back to political recommendations,” Mr. Dubey told The Hindu. 

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi had launched a scathing critique against the Union government, questioning the rationale behind shielding the NTA chief while action was taken against other top officials and alleging that Mr. Joshi was being retained over his links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“You transferred the NTA D-G but retained its Chairman, why so? The Union Minister for Education had to resign, but the NTA Chairman was retained because he is linked to a specific organisation. This shows that the Union Government does not want to seek any improvement in the Education Ministry because for RSS, education is a very important Ministry,” Mr. Gogoi stated, casting doubt on the criteria used for high-level appointments in India’s premier testing bodies.

Mr. Joshi’s office has not yet responded to The Hindu’s request for comments on the issue.

Controversial tenure

During Mr. Joshi’s tenure as MPPSC Chairman, the commission faced scrutiny over recruitment of at least 88 professors who did not meet mandatory criteria of holding a PhD or having ten years of teaching experience. After a five-year stint at MPPSC between 2006 and 2011, Mr. Joshi transitioned to head the CGPSC from 2011 to 2015. He was later appointed as a member of the UPSC in 2015 and served as its Chairman from August 2020 to April 2022.

During Mr. Joshi’s tenure as UPSC Chairman, issues of several candidates bypassing the commission’s screening system by submitting falsified certificates surfaced. The issue put a focus on UPSC’s credibility crisis, exposing a lack of backend verification framework that overlapped with Mr. Joshi’s tenure.

Questions regarding recruitment irregularities during Joshi’s tenure as MPPSC Chairman eventually saw court-mandated probes for fairness in appointments. “In 2015, the M.P. High Court constituted a committee headed by the Chief Minister, with Leader of Opposition and a Cabinet Minister responsible for appointing the Chairman and members of Public Service Commission,” Mr. Dubey said.

Officials argue that individuals with disputed credentials in State bodies should not have been entrusted with the responsibility of running national agencies like the NTA.

“UPSC and NTA are the two most critical public examination agencies, so what is the criteria of picking up such people to be recruited to these agencies? Were the credentials duly verified before nominating them to these agencies?,” former Education Secretary Anil Swarup asked while speaking with The Hindu.

Mr. Swarup further stated, “During the NEET 2024 leak too, the NTA D-G was shifted out, but the NTA Chairman [Mr. Joshi] retained his post. What is the reason that his role has not been scrutinised?”

Published - August 04, 2026 10:20 pm IST