NEET paper leak row: SC judges to visit NTA office to inspect upgraded facilities

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday highlighted the need to institutionally strengthen the examination system to prevent recurring NEET paper leaks and indicated that judges of the bench would personally visit the National Testing Agency (NTA) to examine its upgraded facilities.Justice Narasimha said the judges would visit the NTA office on Minto Road in Delhi to assess whether the system is functional and examine its manpower and other arrangements.Justice PS Narasimha told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that he and Justice Aradhe would like to visit the National Testing Agency's newly upgraded facility to examine its systems.“Strengthening the NTA's system institutionally is crucial to preventing recurring paper leaks. Merely immediate or temporary measures would not suffice. You must know that permanency of the entire system is key. There should be a permanent setup, permanent staff, permanent verticals. Very less deputation should be there. Only then a permanent structure will come up,” the bench told Mehta.At the outset, the Centre told the bench that the high-powered panel led by Nandan Nilekani, constituted to suggest structural reforms in NEET, has held extensive consultations and is likely to submit its first interim report by the end of this month.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said suggestions received from stakeholders had been placed before the panel, which also held consultations with members of an earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.The bench directed the joint secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), who is assisting the Nilekani panel, to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken so far.The bench told Mehta that the key issue was to institutionalise the entire process for conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).The Education Department has said that a new and upgraded system has been created.The bench noted that the Radhakrishnan committee had also recommended structural reforms, but said the key issue was their implementation.Mehta assured the bench that the Nilekani panel was examining all recommendations made by the Radhakrishnan committee, as well as suggestions from the petitioners and other stakeholders.“It is the top most priority of the government. All necessary assistance will be provided,” Mehta told the bench, as cited by PTI.The bench directed that the affidavit filed by the NTA be uploaded on its website to enable people to submit their suggestions.It also asked the Centre to appoint a nodal counsel through whom people could submit their suggestions.On August 19, the Supreme Court, observing the need to institutionalise reforms in the NTA, had directed the Centre to inform it about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel and the Nilekani committee.The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education following the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak to recommend reforms in the examination process, strengthen data security protocols, and review the structure and functioning of the NTA.Following student protests in July this year, the Union government constituted a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to suggest structural reforms in competitive examinations.The NTA on May 12 cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak. The matter is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.A re-test was conducted on June 21, with the results announced on July 16.Following allegations of a NEET-UG question paper leak in 2024, the Supreme Court had declined to cancel the examination but issued several directions to prevent paper leaks and laid down criteria for cancelling public examinations.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.