New Delhi, May 29 (H.S.): Hearing multiple petitions seeking action in the NEET paper leak case, the Supreme Court of India observed that issues affecting the conduct of NEET examinations would persist unless accountability is firmly established. A bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha has directed the Ministry of Education to submit a comprehensive plan for an extensive overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The Court remarked that the root problem would not be resolved until real accountability is fixed, stating that unless those responsible are clearly identified, responsibility would remain “vague and diffuse.”

In the matter, the NTA filed its response, stating that it has implemented significant security reforms. In its affidavit before the Supreme Court, the NTA said that a high-level operational committee reviewed NEET preparations on April 17 and recommended security measures across pre-exam, during-exam, and post-exam stages. These include mandatory CCTV monitoring with footage retention for at least 90 days, mock drills at examination centres, weather-based contingency planning, power backup systems, emergency medical facilities, and detailed inspections of centres a week prior to the examination.

The NTA informed the Court that several recommendations of the expert high-level committee have already been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. It further stated that 16 new senior posts, including positions at the level of Director and Joint Director, have been created as part of its restructuring. A senior officer at the Secretary level has also been appointed as the Director General of the NTA.

In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Centre and the NTA, observing that the agency had failed to learn lessons from past incidents.

The petitions have been filed by the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), United Doctors Front, Rajya Sabha MP Sudhakar Singh, social activist Anubhav Garg, Dr. Dhruv, and Harisharan Devgan. The petitions seek reforms and greater transparency in the NEET examination system, demanding sweeping changes in the medical entrance examination process and strict action against the NTA. They also argue that the NTA should be replaced by a new statutory authority under judicial oversight.

The plea further demands that the upcoming NEET examination scheduled for June 21 be conducted as a Computer-Based Test (CBT) instead of the traditional pen-and-paper format. It calls for a time-bound roadmap to transition the entire examination system to CBT, including detailed provisions for cybersecurity, examination centre infrastructure, and candidate accessibility.

The petitions also challenge what they describe as systemic failures by the NTA in conducting NEET 2026 and seek Supreme Court-monitored oversight of the examination process. FAIMA has additionally sought supervision of the matter by the Supreme Court and an investigation led by a former Supreme Court judge.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar