AIAPGET 2026: NTA Suspends Eduquity After Jaipur Outage

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has suspended the empanelment of exam-conducting agency Eduquity Career Technologies Pvt. Ltd. with immediate effect following a critical infrastructure failure that disrupted the All India Ayush Post Graduate Entrance Test (AIAPGET) 2026 at a Jaipur centre on Saturday. The incident, which saw a power outage and subsequent generator failure derail the examination for 49 candidates, has triggered a show-cause notice and a mandated re-examination scheduled for September 1, 2026. This marks the fourth instance this year where the NTA has been compelled to arrange a re-test, raising serious questions about the robustness of India’s high-stakes examination infrastructure.

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NTA Suspends Eduquity Career Technologies After Jaipur Power Failure; 49 AIAPGET Candidates to Reappear on September 1

New Delhi – August 24, 2026 — The National Testing Agency has taken decisive action against M/s Eduquity Career Technologies Pvt. Ltd., suspending its empanelment after a power failure at the Shri Satya Sai PG College in Jaipur disrupted the AIAPGET 2026 examination. The incident, which occurred during the first shift on August 22, 2026, left 49 candidates unable to complete their Ayurveda paper, forcing the NTA to schedule a re-examination. The agency has expressed regret for the inconvenience, but the event underscores persistent vulnerabilities in the conduct of national-level entrance tests.

The Incident: A Timeline of System Failure in Jaipur

AIAPGET 2026 was conducted on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in two shifts across approximately 205 centres nationwide. According to NTA figures, 51,482 candidates registered for the exam, with 49,867 ultimately appearing. The first shift, which ran from 10 am to noon, saw 36,979 registered candidates, of whom 35,837 appeared at 200 centres. Of these, 35,788 successfully completed the paper. However, the examination at Shri Satya Sai PG College in Jaipur deviated sharply from this norm.

At the Jaipur centre, 192 candidates appeared for the Ayurveda paper. Approximately 15 minutes into the examination, at around 10:30 am, a power failure struck the facility. Jaipur City East Additional District Magistrate Narendra Verma confirmed that the outage lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. Critically, the centre's generator backup also failed. "Even this facility encountered problems shortly," ADM Verma stated, leaving candidates in a state of limbo as systems hung and screens went dark.

Candidate Distress and On-Site Protests

The failure created a chaotic environment inside the examination hall. While 143 candidates chose to wait for power restoration and eventually completed the paper with extra time, 49 candidates refused to continue and left the hall in frustration. The situation was exacerbated by vocal protests from the affected students. "A chunk of students started protesting and agitating inside the exam hall. They were disturbing others inside too," ADM Verma recounted, describing a scene of high tension and anxiety.

One candidate, who wished to remain anonymous, described the harrowing experience: "We have been preparing for this exam for months, putting in endless hours of study. Just 15 minutes after the exam started, the systems hung. We kept waiting, hoping it would restart, but nothing happened for nearly an hour and a half. The anxiety and stress inside the hall were unbearable." This testimony highlights the immense psychological pressure on postgraduate medical aspirants, for whom a single examination can determine their career trajectory.

NTA's Response: Show-Cause Notice and Suspension

In response to the lapses, the NTA has moved swiftly to hold the private agency accountable. The agency issued a formal statement: "NTA has issued a show-cause notice to M/s Eduquity Career Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for lapses in the conduct of the AIAPGET examination at a center in Jaipur. Pending resolution of the notice, the empanelment of M/s Eduquity with NTA stands suspended with immediate effect." This action signals a firm stance on quality control, though it does little to alleviate the immediate distress of the affected candidates.

The suspension mechanism is a critical tool for the NTA to enforce standards among the private agencies it relies upon to conduct examinations on its behalf. However, this incident reveals a gap in the oversight of infrastructure preparedness, particularly regarding power backup redundancy. The failure of both the primary power supply and the generator at a critical moment suggests a lack of rigorous pre-examination checks at the centre level.

The Re-Examination: A Second Chance on September 1

For the 49 affected candidates, the NTA has scheduled a re-examination on September 1, 2026, at 10 am. The venue will be the Rajasthan College of Engineering for Women in Jaipur, a different location from the original centre. The NTA has confirmed that revised admit cards will be issued to these candidates, and a dedicated helpline has been established for their assistance. Candidates can reach out via phone at 011-40759000 or 011-69227700, or via email at aiapget@nta.ac.in.

Notably, the second shift of the examination at the same Jaipur centre, which covered the Homeopathy, Siddha and Unani papers from 3 pm to 5 pm, proceeded without any disruption. All 196 candidates who appeared for that shift completed their papers normally. The re-examination on September 1 is strictly limited to the 49 Ayurveda candidates who were unable to finish the first shift, ensuring that the integrity of the examination process is maintained for all participants.

A Pattern of Disruption: The Fourth Re-Test This Year

This incident is not an isolated one. It marks the fourth major examination this year for which the NTA has had to arrange a re-test or re-examination. In June, NEET-UG was repeated on June 21 following allegations of paper leaks, a scandal that shook the medical education community. Subsequently, UGC-NET re-examinations were scheduled in Sociology, English and Commerce. More recently, CUET-UG was re-conducted for 3,765 candidates following a technical glitch. Now, AIAPGET joins this list, albeit on a smaller scale with 49 candidates.

This pattern raises systemic concerns about the reliability of India's examination infrastructure. While the NTA has demonstrated a willingness to correct errors, the frequency of these disruptions suggests deeper issues with the empanelled agencies and the technology they deploy. For students, each re-test represents additional stress, financial burden, and uncertainty, particularly for those who have already invested months in preparation.

Analysis: The Stakes for Ayush Education and Candidate Welfare

AIAPGET is the national entrance examination for admission to postgraduate MD, MS and PG Diploma programmes in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Siddha and Unani systems of medicine. The Ayush sector has seen significant expansion in India, with the Ministry of Ayush promoting these traditional systems as part of the country's healthcare framework. This growth has increased competition among aspirants, making the integrity of the entrance examination paramount. A disruption such as the one in Jaipur not only affects individual careers but also undermines confidence in the Ayush education pipeline.

From a policy perspective, the incident highlights the need for stricter infrastructure audits. The failure of the generator backup at Shri Satya Sai PG College is a clear indicator that standard operating procedures were not followed. The NTA's decision to suspend Eduquity is a step in the right direction, but it must be accompanied by more robust pre-examination checks, including mandatory testing of power backup systems and contingency protocols for technical failures.

The Bottom Line

The AIAPGET 2026 disruption at Jaipur, affecting 49 candidates out of 49,867 who appeared nationwide, is a stark reminder of the fragility of India's examination system. The NTA's swift action in suspending Eduquity Career Technologies and scheduling a re-examination for September 1, 2026, at the Rajasthan College of Engineering for Women is commendable. However, the recurrence of such incidents—now four times this year—demands a systemic overhaul. For the 49 affected candidates, the re-test is a necessary but stressful ordeal. For the NTA, it is a test of its ability to ensure that no candidate is left behind due to infrastructural negligence. The agency's regret, expressed in its statement, must translate into concrete action to prevent a fifth such occurrence.

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: ANI, CNBC-TV18, The New Indian Express, Free Press Journal, Education Times.

— By Dr. Raj Patel, Staff Writer