SC questions NTA safeguards in NEET paper leak case (Img: Internet)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday strongly questioned the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, asking the examination body to “learn from UPSC” while expressing concern over repeated failures in conducting crucial competitive exams.
Hearing a batch of petitions seeking structural reforms in the NEET-UG examination process, a bench led by Justice PS Narasimha observed that such incidents were damaging the confidence of students and families who invest years of effort preparing for these examinations.
During the hearing, the court questioned how a major paper leak could occur despite the presence of high-level monitoring committees and security mechanisms.
Justice Narasimha remarked that institutions like the Union Public Service Commission had maintained credibility in conducting examinations and suggested that the NTA should adopt stronger systems and practices.
The bench observed that if such breaches were happening despite expert recommendations, it either indicated flaws in the original framework or weak implementation of safeguards. The court also highlighted the need for institutional accountability rather than temporary fixes.
Appearing for the Centre and the NTA, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the government was treating the matter with utmost seriousness and that new security mechanisms had already been introduced for upcoming examinations.
He told the bench that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally supervising the issue and monitoring the implementation of reforms at the highest level.
However, Mehta said certain details regarding the new safeguards could not be publicly disclosed as it might compromise the effectiveness of the measures.
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The NTA informed the court that several structural reforms had been introduced after the controversy. These include mandatory CCTV checks, preservation of footage for at least 90 days, mock drills at examination centres, weather contingency planning, and post-exam forensic analysis of CCTV recordings.
The agency also stated that 16 senior-level posts had been created as part of its restructuring process, while experts from IITs, CBSE, UGC, IGNOU, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan had been brought in to strengthen examination management.
The Supreme Court directed the Union government to file a fresh affidavit explaining how future examinations would be conducted and how institutional continuity and accountability within the NTA would be ensured. The bench stressed that the issue was not limited to one examination but involved the future and trust of lakhs of students across the country.
