NEET-UG leak: SC judges to visit NTA
Highlighting the need to institutionally strengthen the system to prevent recurring NEET paper leaks, the Supreme Court on Friday indicated that the judges of the Bench may personally visit the National Testing Agency (NTA) to examine its upgraded facilities. The NTA, which conducts the NEET-UG for admissions to undergraduate medical courses and has been under the heat due to recurring paper leaks, told a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that it has overhauled its entire mechanism, from administrative hierarchy to infrastructure, for making the system foolproof.
“There should be a permanent setup, permanent staff, permanent verticals. Very less deputation should be there. Only then a permanent structure will come up,” the Bench told Mehta. Justice Narasimha told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, that he and Justice Aradhe would like to visit the newly upgraded facility of the NTA to examine the system.
Justice Narasimha said the judges would go to the NTA office on Minto Road in Delhi and see whether the system is actually functional, and assess its manpower and other arrangements.
“Permanency of the structure has been ensured. However, human resources are partially ensured at the moment,” Mehta said.
At the outset, the Union Government told the Bench that the Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered panel constituted to suggest structural reforms in NEET has held exhaustive consultations and is likely to submit its first interim report by the end of this month. Mehta said all the suggestions from stakeholders had been placed before the panel, which held consultations with the members of an earlier committee led by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan. The Bench asked the joint secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), who is assisting the Nilekani panel, to file an affidavit before the court on the steps taken so far.
The bench directed that the affidavit filed by the NTA must be uploaded on its website, so that people can make their suggestions.
It also asked the Government to appoint a nodal counsel, where people can submit their suggestions.
On August 19, observing that there is a need to institutionalise the reforms in the NTA, the SC directed the Government to inform it about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel and the Nilekani committee.
The SC was hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by advocate Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA).
The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee was set up by the Ministry of Education in the wake of the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak to make recommendations on reforms in the examination process, improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of the NTA.
After the students’ protest in July this year, the Union Government set up a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder Nilekani to suggest structural reforms in competitive examinations.
The NTA on May 12 cancelled the NEET-UG 2026, held on May 3, following allegations of paper leaks. The matter is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
A re-test was held on June 21, and the results were announced on July 16.
After questions of NEET-UG were allegedly leaked in 2024, the SC had refused to cancel the test, but passed various directions aimed at tackling paper leaks and also a criterion for cancelling public exams.
