PM Modi ‘personally supervises’ NEET, govt tells SC; exam to move to a computer test

These measures are of particular importance as suspects arrested so far in the investigation into the paper leaks include teachers and tutors from coaching centers who were responsible for writing the questions or translations, or who had access to the diary.

The NTA’s disclosure came after the top court, hearing a batch of petitions, said on May 25 that the agency had “not learned its lesson” from the 2024 paper leak. It had asked the NTA and former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief K. Radhakrishnan, who chairs the reform monitoring committee, to explain in writing what had actually been done since then.

NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3 at 5,432 centers in 552 cities in India and 14 centers abroad in 13 languages. Around 22.05 lakh of the 22.79 lakh registered candidates appeared for the exam.

The NTA canceled the test on May 12 after law enforcement confirmed that the test had been circulated on WhatsApp and Telegram groups before the day of the exam. Applicants must take the new test on June 21.

Appearing before the bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe on Friday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court on Friday: “The honorable Prime Minister is personally supervising this. »

In its affidavit, the NTA cited the cancellation and the investigation into the leaked documents referred to the CBI to illustrate what it called the “seriousness” with which the government viewed the integrity of the exams.

“The cancellation of the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on May 3, 2026 and the referral of the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation itself illustrates the seriousness with which the NTA and the Government of India view the integrity of the examinations. The decision has been taken in the interest of students and in recognition of the trust on which the national examination system rests,” it said.

Responsibility and institutional memory

The bench’s main concern Friday was not the mechanics of the breach but the persistence of the failure. The court questioned how another leak could occur despite following up and implementing the recommendations of the High Level Expert Committee (HLCE).

Following the 2024 leak, the Union education ministry had constituted the HLCE, headed by Radhakrishnan, to make recommendations on reforms in the NTA. The HLCE was also tasked to review the mechanism for conducting examinations, recommend reforms for transparent, smooth and fair examinations, and suggest structural, procedural and technological measures to strengthen the NTA.

The bench observed on Friday that either the commission’s recommendations themselves were flawed or effective monitoring had not taken place.

Radhakrishnan, who appeared in person before the court, told the hearing that out of around 60 recommendations made by the committee, most had already been implemented and few were in progress.

NEET-UG 2025, he said, was conducted satisfactorily, barring isolated incidents, including power outages at some centers, and enhanced coordination with state governments and district administrations has since been introduced.

The bench was not reassured.

The “real problem,” he observed, will persist unless clear responsibilities are set. Without responsibility assigned to individuals, he points out, obligations become “diffuse,” making it difficult to resolve institutional failures.

The Court also raised the issue of “adhocism” within institutions and underlined the importance of the development of institutional memory, continuity of human resources and permanent expert-led mechanisms within the NTA.

Strong institutions – not just individuals – are essential to ensure the credibility and transparency of national exams, he observes.

Regarding the issues, the bench observed that exams like NEET involve emotions, years of hard work, sacrifices and aspirations not only of students but of entire families. He said such document leaks were “very traumatic” and students could not be repeatedly disappointed.

Upcoming security levels and measures

The NTA affidavit devoted considerable space to the security architecture deployed for NEET 2026. Paper writers were held in solitary confinement without internet or mobile phone access, heavy work was shredded daily and encrypted documents were stored on secure systems with regularly updated protocols. Printing was monitored by senior officers, electronic devices were banned from press premises and CCTV footage was preserved. The papers were transported under police escort and police escort, and could not be opened until 45 minutes before the exam.

For the first time, Aadhaar-based biometric verification has been rolled out (QR code scans, live photographs and fingerprint authentication, all linked to UIDAI), with any mismatch triggering alerts and further verification. Mobile jammers were installed at all 5,432 exam centers and around 1.85 lakh CCTV cameras were used to monitor the exam, with AI tools analyzing the footage for malpractice.

For the next round of exams i.e. next year, the NTA said that several sets of questions will be prepared, out of which one will be kept as a backup. Conventional codes from series A, B, C and D will be replaced by special and long codes, and the order of response options will vary between sets.

Randomization and rotation policies would be institutionalized for all officials participating in the high-stakes examinations, he said, adding, “Background checks/background verification of these officials as well as officials involved in the high-stakes examinations of the NTA will also be rigorously undertaken. »

Regarding translation, the affidavit adds: “AI-based tools should be used for at least 85% of the translation work to minimize human intervention and reduce the time involved in the process and, therefore, reduce the likelihood of any security compromise. »

The shift to CBT, specifically recommended by the HLCE, was delayed due to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s preference for the existing format.

“The transition will be implemented from the next round of examinations in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” the NTA affidavit said.

In a separate affidavit, Radhakrishnan said the HLCE’s 101 recommendations included 60 short-term, 35 long-term and 6 relating to ministerial-level oversight. “Monitoring and evaluation at the level of the Ministry of Education is in place,” he wrote.

The former ISRO chief informed the court that the last High Level Steering Committee (HPSC) meeting, held on April 17, deliberated on CBT transition, long-term infrastructure strengthening and achieving a “zero error and tamper-proof” examination system.

The HPSC was another committee formed by the government to ensure that the recommendations made by the HLCE are implemented. HPSC is also headed by Radhakrishnan.

Directing the Union government to lay down a comprehensive framework for future exams, the bench said, “We direct the Union of India, HRD to be replaced in the Ministry of Health, to file an affidavit as to how the conduct of the exam year and subsequent years will be conducted and in this process, it will indicate the method in which institutional memory through continuity of human resources, institutional plurality through composition of experts, etc., is brought into play.” place.

The case is expected to be heard in the second week of July.

(Edited by Prerna Madan)

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