'Traumatic, Can't Disappoint Students': Supreme Court Raps NTA In NEET Paper Leak Case
'Learn from UPSC': Supreme Court Questions NTA Safeguards In NEET Paper Leak Case Published By, Last Updated: May 29, 2026, 15:23 IST Supreme Court pulled
'Learn from UPSC': Supreme Court Questions NTA Safeguards In NEET Paper Leak Case Published By, Last Updated: May 29, 2026, 15:23 IST Supreme Court pulled up the NTA over the NEET-UG leak row, telling it to “learn from UPSC” and warning students “cannot be disappointed” after years of effort. Protests in concern with the NEET paper leak scam (Photo: PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Testing Agency (NTA) over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, telling the examination body to “learn" from institutions like the UPSC while warning that repeated lapses were eroding trust in the system. Hearing a batch of petitions seeking structural reforms in the conduct of NEET-UG, a bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha questioned how such a major breach could occur despite the presence of a high-powered committee tasked with preventing irregularities. “UPSC has never been in such a situation. You need to learn," Justice Narasimha remarked during the hearing. The court repeatedly stressed that the issue was not merely about one examination, but about institutional accountability and the future of lakhs of students appearing for highly competitive entrance tests. “Despite a high-powered committee, if this incident happened, there is something wrong with the original recommendation, or there is no proper implementation," the bench observed.
The matter relates to petitions filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the United Doctors Front (UDF), which have sought a structural overhaul of the NTA following allegations of irregularities and a paper leak in NEET-UG 2026. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the NTA, told the court that the government was treating the matter with utmost seriousness and that reforms were already underway. “We are dealing with youth, and the government is very serious about the problems of the youth," Mehta told the bench. He also said that the re-NEET process and the implementation of fresh safeguards were being monitored “at the highest level of the executive." According to Mehta, several new mechanisms had been introduced for upcoming examinations, though the Centre chose not to disclose the details publicly. “Some new mechanisms are put in place for the examinations. It may not be appropriate to divulge what’s there. Otherwise, it may defeat the purpose," he said. During the hearing, Mehta further informed the court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “personally supervising" the issue. Justice Narasimha, however, indicated that the court’s concern went beyond short-term fixes and focused on the deeper institutional culture within the NTA. “The problem with most of our institutions is ad hocism.
The knowledge doesn’t percolate. It is not the individual who has the capability. It is the institution," the judge said. The bench also underscored the importance of identifying responsibility within institutions handling critical national examinations. “The real problem is accountability. Unless we identify the responsibility, you won’t really know. It is the most sensitive thing," Justice Narasimha observed. Retired Justice R Radhakrishnan, who heads the steering committee reviewing reforms, informed the court that the committee had made both long-term and short-term recommendations, many of which had already been implemented. He said several loopholes related to question paper transportation and examination management had been addressed and assured the court that additional safeguards would be in place for the upcoming re-NEET examination. The NTA, in its affidavit before the court, detailed a series of structural and security reforms introduced after the controversy. These included mandatory CCTV checks, preservation of footage for at least 90 days, mock drills at centres, weather contingency plans, verification of power backup systems and post-examination forensic analysis of CCTV footage. The agency also informed the court that 16 new senior-level posts had been created as part of its restructuring process. Domain experts from IITs, CBSE, UGC, KVS and IGNOU had also been inducted to strengthen examination management and security systems.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court directed the Union government to file a fresh affidavit detailing how future examinations would be conducted and how continuity and “institutional memory" within the NTA would be ensured. Dictating its order, the bench said the affidavit should explain “the method in which an institutional memory through continuity of human resources, institutional plurality by composition of experts, etc, is put in place." “It is very traumatic if this is happening. We cannot disappoint our students. It is not merely the student, it’s the family too. It is so much of emotions, love, time, years of study," Justice Narasimha observed. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 29, 2026, 14:52 IST News india 'Learn from UPSC': Supreme Court Questions NTA Safeguards In NEET Paper Leak Case Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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