3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 25, 2026 02:32 PM IST
The Supreme Court said Monday it is “sad” that the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET, has still not learned its lessons despite the court intervening on previous occasions while making its displeasure evident over the NEET UG 2026 question paper leak.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe sought a response from the Centre, NTA and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on pleas for the replacement of the testing agency with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance exam. The matter has been listed for further hearing on Friday, May 29.
The bench directed that copies of the petitions be served on Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, among other parties, and asked the NTA to file an affidavit by Thursday on compliance with the court’s 2024 directions.
“We are so sad, they (NTA) haven’t learnt their lessons. We passed an order directing the constitution of a committee to give recommendations, which was accepted,” Justice P S Narasimha said while presiding over a two-judge bench.
The bench sought a report from it on the steps taken in response to the recommendations of the high-level committee of experts, while hearing petitions by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and others seeking the replacement or restructuring of NTA. The bench also issued notice to the Agency.
The bench also directed NTA to file its counter-affidavit in the case and directed the chairman of the monitoring committee to ensure compliance with its directions.
In its plea, FAIMA argued that the widespread paper leak allegations and the subsequent cancellation of the NEET UG 2026 examination reflected a “systemic failure” on the part of NTA in ensuring the integrity and security of one of the country’s largest entrance examinations.
READ| NEET UG cancellation Anatomy of a leak
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With controversies plaguing the conduct of NEET exams, the Centre in June 2024 announced the setting up of a high-level committee of experts under former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan “to suggest effective measures for conducting transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations by the National Testing Agency”.
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It was also to make recommendations on “Reforms in the mechanism of examination process, Improvement in Data Security protocols and structure and functioning of National Testing Agency”.
While refusing to cancel the NEET UG 2024 exams over allegations of a paper leak, the Supreme Court asked the Committee to also look into issues of examination security and administration, and to research and suggest advanced data security protocols, including encryption and secure data transmission methods, to protect examination materials from unauthorised access and potential leaks.
The Supreme Court also asked it to review and recommend updates to NTA’s policies and Standard Operating Procedures to align with best practices, ensuring that the Agency is equipped to handle evolving challenges in examination security.
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The top court also asked it to consider the viability of NTA engaging in international cooperation with examination bodies and educational authorities from other countries to share best practices, security measures, and innovative solutions.