'National Trustless Agency': Congress slams NTA as claims over NIFT results emerge amid NEET row

The student wing of the Congress party has intensified its attack on the Union government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) over alleged irregularities in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance examination results.

Vinod Jakhar, national president of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), claimed in a post on X on June 10 that the NTA had become the "National Trustless Agency" amid growing complaints from candidates.

"After NEET and CUET, now NIFT 2026! NTA's meaning has now become 'National Trustless Agency'.

Students are continuously raising questions on social media regarding the irregularities in the NIFT entrance exam results, but NTA is busy hiding its failures and covering them up. Just saying that 'complaints are few' doesn't justify the rigging!

We stand fully with the students. Education Minister @dpradhanbjp ji, how long will this tampering with the future of the country's youth continue?" Jakhar wrote.

Fresh trouble has found the NTA following the recent medical entrance examination controversy, with a section of NIFT candidates reporting serious errors in their Stage 2 results.

The transparency of the testing process is now being questioned by students and parents across the country.

Scoring curiosities and absent candidates

The allegations emerging after the June 3 result declaration are striking. Students who sat the Situation Test and postgraduate interviews in April said they were marked absent in the results.

Conversely, some candidates who never appeared for the examination were allegedly marked present and awarded marks.

One scorecard shared widely on social media appears to show a candidate receiving more than 16 marks out of 20 despite not taking the test.

Other candidates who expected scores above 90 based on earlier answer keys said they received single-digit marks or scores below 50.

The reported discrepancies have triggered anxiety among students who have spent years preparing for careers in fashion.

Mounting pressure on testing authorities

While NIFT officials have said grievances raised by a small group of students have been addressed, complaints continue to surface online.

The NTA has maintained that the final results were prepared through a rigorous process involving digital evaluation and scrutiny by competent committees.

However, the agency has reportedly acknowledged that it is reviewing specific cases involving alleged discrepancies after being approached by candidates.

The controversy has renewed pressure on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and raised fresh questions about confidence in the national examination system.