NEW DELHI: Question papers of several subjects in Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) ongoing June-July 2026 term-end examinations were allegedly being sold on Telegram, prompting the university headquarters to formally alert regional centres across the country about touts offering papers for Rs 199 each. However, no paper has been cancelled so far, according to sources. The university stated that it found no evidence of a leak.
In a separate incident, examination centres across the country were allegedly provided with the wrong question paper for a postgraduate (PG) exam. In a communication to regional directors on June 4, the university's student evaluation division said it had received complaints from learners regarding individuals claiming to possess question papers and offering them for sale online.
University Response to Alleged Leak
The communication also attached screenshots of chats in which question papers were allegedly being shared and sold. An official email dated June 3 from IGNOU learners raised serious concerns about widespread claims circulating on Telegram channels, where certain individuals were allegedly charging money and promising question papers. The email instructed examination centre superintendents to follow instructions carefully to avoid such complaints.
One such email, received by several students on June 3 and seen by Times of India, claimed that question papers for macroeconomics analysis and other subjects could be obtained through a Telegram channel for Rs 199 per subject. The sender instructed recipients not to share the papers further, warning that doing so could lead to cancellation of the exam, and claimed to have access to question papers up to two hours before the exam. The message also offered to provide solutions along with the papers where possible.
In its response to TOI, the university said a complaint about question papers on sale was immediately referred to the police. However, there was no immediate response from law enforcement authorities.
“As of date, no information regarding any alleged question paper leakage has been received from any regional centre, examination centre, or any other reliable source. Therefore, there is no evidence at present to substantiate the claim of a question paper leak, hence constituting an inquiry committee does not arise,” the university stated.
However, faculty members said the university informed all its regional centres to beef up security measures due to the suspected breach. The university’s investigation found the allegations baseless, so the papers were not cancelled. All centres were directed to tighten security arrangements, deploy observers, restrict mobile phone use by staff, prevent unauthorised access to venues, and ensure that confidential question papers remain under the personal custody of centre superintendents.
Exam Schedule and Scale
IGNOU’s June-July term-end exams for undergraduate (UG) and PG students are underway from June 1 to July 21. University officials said around nine lakh students are appearing at over 900 examination centres covering nearly 2,000 courses. According to the university datesheet, examinations are conducted in two daily sessions—morning (10 am to 1 pm) and evening (2 pm to 5 pm). However, information regarding exactly which subjects or courses may have been affected by the alleged leak between June 1 and June 4 was not immediately clear.
Wrong Question Paper Incident
The leak allegations come amid another examination-related lapse. On June 9, centres were allegedly given the wrong question paper for a master’s-level exam. In a communication issued at 10:27 am—after the morning session started at 10 am—the university instructed centres not to use the paper that had been dispatched and instead download the correct paper through its portal.
Teachers alleged that the delay in communication resulted in some centres conducting the examination using the wrong paper before the correction reached them. Responding to queries regarding the incident, IGNOU said the wrongly dispatched paper was discarded and replaced with the correct paper before the examination was conducted. The university said around 200 examination centres had received the incorrect paper but maintained that no centre conducted the examination with it.
