# NTA slashes expert tenures, sacks 600 after leaks 2026-08-20T09:25:46+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The National Testing Agency (NTA) has launched a major overhaul of its examination system, cutting subject experts' tenures and removing around 600 experts after a series of paper leaks and errors. India Today reports that a senior NTA official described the agency as dealing with a 'big mafia' seeking to compromise people involved in the process. The changes follow the 371st Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which noted that five of 14 NTA exams in 2024 faced major problems including leaks, postponements and delays. Hindustan Times reports that the NTA has introduced a four-stage screening process for new subject experts, including document verification, subject-matter evaluation, background checks and formal empanelment. Experts will be empanelled for three years and paid Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 a year for 7 to 15 days of work. The agency is also splitting question-paper preparation among separate teams, deploying CISF for physical security, and using air-gapped computer systems isolated from the internet. ## Indian Opinion Analysis India Today leads with the 'big mafia' threat and the parliamentary panel's criticism, framing the overhaul as a crisis-driven response to organised criminal targeting of exam integrity. Hindustan Times leads with the new four-stage hiring process, presenting the changes as a procedural upgrade. India Today emphasises the scale of failure, 600 experts sacked, 5 exams compromised, while Hindustan Times gives a neutral, how-to account of the new empanelment rules. A careful reader can see both sides: the NTA is tightening security after acknowledged failures, but the focus on hiring procedures alone does not address the deeper structural vulnerability that allowed repeated leaks. The key date to watch is the induction of 20, 25 new officials in the next two to three weeks. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - indiatoday.in (government critical) Leads with 'big mafia' threat and parliamentary panel criticism of exam failures - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Presents new hiring process as factual procedural change, no criticism or praise This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-20T13:26:26+00:00. Tags: Abhishek Singh, CISF, JEE Main, National Testing Agency, NEET, UGC NET Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/nta-slashes-expert-tenures-splits-paper-setting-after-leaks/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/nta-slashes-expert-tenures-splits-paper-setting-after-leaks/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/