Supreme Court seeks Centre’s response on NEET reforms

Published 24 July 2026 · education

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 24, 2026) indicated that it would closely monitor the Centre’s proposed overhaul of the Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The court

The Supreme Court on Friday (July 24, 2026) indicated that it would closely monitor the Centre’s proposed overhaul of the Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), the United Doctors Front (UDF), and others seeking to replace the Testing Agency (NTA) with an independent statutory body to conduct the exam. A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe directed the Union government to file a detailed response outlining whether it plans to transition NEET-UG to a computer-based test (CBT) and what safeguards will be implemented to protect examination data. The Bench also called out extraordinary measures, such as deploying the Indian Air Force to transport question papers of this year’s NEET examination, as temporary fixes. “We cannot let such a situation go on like this. We have to focus on institutionalisation... Here, because of what had happened, you deployed the Air Force, but that is only an ad hoc arrangement, not a permanent one,” the Bench observed. The hearing came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the NEET paper leak controversy for the first time, announcing the creation of fast-track courts to expedite the trial of such cases amid the ongoing protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

‘Going 10 extra miles’ Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, submitted that the Centre was making every possible effort to address students’ concerns. “The government is going 10 extra miles as children’s problems have to be addressed... I can assure you from my personal knowledge, it is being monitored, supervised, and everything is being done at the highest executive level,” Mr. Mehta said. The Bench then addressed the reforms proposed by the seven-member High Level Committee of Experts (HLCE), constituted by the Ministry of Education in 2024 under former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan to review the functioning of the NEET examination system. The committee, which submitted its report in October 2024, recommended a series of structural reforms, including shifting to a computer-based test. The court also referred to the NTA’s affidavit outlining the progress made in implementing those recommendations. Questioning the proposed transition, Justice Narasimha expressed concern over the security of data to prevent further incidents of paper leaks. “Please reflect on that also and tell us... How is data transferred? How does data protection occur?