Supreme Court Questions NTA Over NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak, Stresses Accountability and Institutional Reforms

The Supreme Court on Friday took a tough stance while hearing petitions seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination over allegations of a paper leak.

During the proceedings, the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the court that the matter is being monitored at the highest levels of government, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, the court made it clear that lasting solutions require clear accountability rather than assurances alone.

A bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe observed that recurring examination controversies would continue unless specific individuals responsible for the conduct of the examination process are identified and held accountable.

Justice Narasimha remarked that merely assigning responsibility to institutions in general terms is not enough; authorities must clearly identify the officials entrusted with specific duties.

The court noted that without fixing responsibility on designated functionaries, efforts to reform the system could become limited to committees holding repeated meetings without delivering meaningful change.

According to the bench, institutional accountability must be backed by individual responsibility.

Seeking a comprehensive roadmap for the future, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit within six weeks explaining how examinations will be conducted, monitored and concluded securely and transparently in the coming years.

The matter has been scheduled for further hearing in the second week of July.

The judges also suggested that the NTA could learn valuable lessons from institutions such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which has built a strong reputation for conducting large-scale competitive examinations without facing similar controversies.

Justice Narasimha pointed out that India has developed several world-class institutions and emphasised the importance of adopting proven best practices.

The court further reflected on what it described as a culture of “ad hocism” within many institutions.

Justice Narasimha observed that systems often become dependent on the competence of individual officers rather than strong institutional frameworks, making them vulnerable when personnel change.

The bench stressed the need to build enduring institutional capacity rather than relying on individual excellence.

It said robust systems, processes and organisational memory should continue functioning effectively regardless of who occupies key positions.

The court also interacted with former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, who heads the monitoring committee established by the Supreme Court in 2024 to recommend reforms for strengthening the NEET examination process.

The judges sought details on how closely the implementation of the committee’s recommendations had been monitored.

Justice Narasimha questioned how such a major lapse could occur despite ongoing monitoring and oversight by a high-powered expert panel.

He asked whether the incident pointed to shortcomings in the original recommendations or failures in implementing them effectively.

Responding to the court, Radhakrishnan said the expert committee had proposed 60 recommendations for immediate implementation in the 2025 and 2026 examination cycles, along with 35 long-term reforms.

According to him, most of the recommendations have already been implemented, while a few are still in progress.

He noted that the 2025 NEET-UG examination was largely conducted smoothly, apart from isolated issues such as power outages at certain examination centres.

He also highlighted that the committee had recommended strengthening the NTA itself, which had been under significant operational pressure while managing multiple national-level examinations.

The court sought clarification on what specific factors had escaped the committee’s attention and eventually contributed to the latest controversy.

In response, Radhakrishnan maintained that the committee had examined all foreseeable risks and challenges.

According to him, the primary concern revolved around question paper preparation and adherence to established security protocols.

While many of the recommended safeguards have already been implemented, some measures are still being introduced.

Radhakrishnan assured the court that corrective steps are currently being taken and that additional safeguards would be in place for the re-NEET examination scheduled for June 21.

He emphasised that the committee’s objective remains the full implementation of examination reforms.

Expressing concern for students, Justice Narasimha described the situation as deeply distressing for the lakhs of aspirants who devote years of preparation, emotional energy and financial resources to the examination.

He said young people should not be made to suffer because of systemic failures.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the government fully understands the concerns of students and is treating the matter with utmost seriousness.

Mehta explained that certain details could not be disclosed publicly because investigations are still underway.

He also informed the court that several new security mechanisms have been introduced for the upcoming examination cycle.

Stressing the importance attached to the issue, he said the process is being monitored at the highest executive level and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally overseeing developments.

The Supreme Court nevertheless reiterated the importance of creating a permanent institutional framework for reviewing suggestions, implementing reforms and continuously improving examination systems rather than relying on crisis-driven responses.

Radhakrishnan informed the bench that efforts are underway to strengthen the NTA by bringing in more domain experts from premier institutions, including the IIT system and the University Grants Commission framework.

He said specialists with experience in conducting examinations such as the IIT-JEE have also been integrated into the organisation’s processes.

He further stated that one of the major issues identified during the 2024 controversy involved vulnerabilities at examination centres and during the transportation of question papers.

According to him, those weaknesses have now been comprehensively addressed, and significant improvements were evident during subsequent examinations.

Supporting these submissions, Mehta said the expert committee had identified additional areas requiring attention and proposed specific corrective measures.

Some of those reforms are already being implemented, while others are expected to be operational before the re-NEET examination scheduled for June 21.

As the case continues, the Supreme Court has made it clear that its focus extends beyond the immediate controversy.

The court appears determined to ensure that India’s largest medical entrance examination develops stronger institutional safeguards, transparent accountability mechanisms and long-term reforms that can restore confidence among millions of students and their families.