Rajasthan SET Candidates Boycott Jaipur Exam Centre Over Delayed Question Papers and Irregularities

Candidates appearing for the Rajasthan State Eligibility Test (SET-2026) walked out and boycotted the examination at a Jaipur centre on Sunday, following a delay of nearly thirty minutes in the distribution of question papers and alleged administrative mismanagement.

The disruption unfolded at Pink City Senior Secondary School located on Bainar Road, where aspirants gathered for an examination scheduled to commence at 11:00 AM. According to candidates at the venue, question papers did not reach the examination halls until approximately 11:30 AM, prompting immediate protests outside the premises as frustration mounted over the breakdown in procedural timelines.

Tensions escalated when candidates questioned institution officials regarding the delayed distribution of test materials. Aspirants reported being told to either enter the examination hall and remain silent or leave the premises entirely. Anita Lamba, one of the candidates present at the centre, questioned the double standard applied to examinees, noting the strict gate-closing penalties typically enforced against students who arrive even a minute late.

"When we questioned the institution, they threatened us, saying that if we wanted to give the exam, we should go inside and sit quietly, or we could leave...This has been happening with children in the past, continues to happen, and will happen in the future," Lamba told reporters. Another candidate, Sania Kaval, raised concerns over the staffing and supervision at the venue, alleging that an eleventh-grade student was assigned to handle examination papers as an invigilator.

As the situation grew more volatile, candidates approached local law enforcement officers stationed at the venue to register their complaints. Lamba stated that following discussions involving police personnel, the school principal displayed a notice indicating that the examination was being cancelled. Candidates maintained that they accepted the cancellation notice at the time, although no formal or official notification had been issued by testing authorities by the time of reporting.

Students subsequently reported mixed developments regarding their participation. While initial accounts pointed to a complete walkout and boycott, candidates later stated they agreed to appear for the exam after raising their grievances with authorities, even as demands for an official re-test persisted.

The Jaipur incident sits against a persistent backdrop of controversies surrounding competitive and recruitment examinations across Rajasthan. Aspirants have frequently faced administrative lapses, technical hurdles, and paper leaks that have derailed major public testing processes in past years.

Notable precedents include widespread allegations and subsequent cancellations tied to the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET), alongside the 2022 Rajasthan Police constable recruitment examination controversy, which forced authorities to scrap affected question papers and schedule fresh tests. For the affected SET candidates, the primary demands remain centered on securing official clarity regarding the validity of Sunday's test, removing the Bainar Road venue from future official examination rosters, and conducting a re-examination if the test is formally voided.