Congress leader Selja urges Haryana Government to ensure accountability, transparent review and fair relief for candidates affected by question paper discrepancies

Chandigarh | Pen of Democracy News Desk

Sirsa MP, former Union Minister, Congress General Secretary and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Kumari Selja expressed serious concern over alleged misprints, incorrect answer options and other technical errors in the Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET)-2026, saying repeated lapses in competitive examinations were eroding the confidence of aspirants and raising questions over the credibility of the examination system.

Selja said thousands of candidates, who had spent months and even years preparing for the examination, should not be made to suffer because of administrative or technical shortcomings. She stressed that recruitment and eligibility examinations must be conducted with the highest standards of transparency, accuracy and accountability.

Referring to reports that around 2.33 lakh candidates appeared for HTET-2026 and that more than 18,000 objections had been filed over alleged misprints, incorrect answer options and other discrepancies in the question papers, Selja termed the situation “deeply concerning.”

“If subject experts confirm that any question or answer option is incorrect, no candidate should be disadvantaged because of such errors. The examination board should adopt a fair approach by awarding appropriate grace marks wherever necessary and ensure that all objections are resolved in a transparent and time-bound manner,” she said.

The Congress leader noted that controversies surrounding competitive examinations were not limited to Haryana. She said recruitment and entrance examinations across the country, including NEET, had witnessed disputes and protests in recent years, making it even more important for governments and examination authorities to strengthen every stage of the process—from question paper preparation and proofreading to conduct of the examination and declaration of results.

Selja said Haryana had witnessed several controversies related to recruitment examinations in the past, including allegations of paper leaks, question paper errors and administrative lapses. She cited the controversy surrounding the Hindi Lecturer examination as an example, adding that regardless of whether the problem stemmed from paper leaks, printing errors or procedural failures, it was ultimately sincere candidates who bore the consequences.

She clarified that responsibility should not be fixed before the completion of any inquiry, but added that repeated lapses demanded accountability. “The government must conduct an impartial review of the current HTET discrepancies and explain how such a large number of objections surfaced despite multiple levels of scrutiny, proofreading and expert verification,” she said.

Calling for systemic reforms, Selja urged the Haryana Government to establish a robust multi-layer verification mechanism for question papers and ensure that accountability is fixed whenever errors occur. She said examination agencies and departments responsible for mistakes must be held answerable so that candidates do not continue to suffer due to institutional failures.

“The confidence of young aspirants can only be restored when the entire recruitment process—from examination to final appointment—is not only transparent and fair but is also seen to be so,” Selja said.

POD/DESK