The Supreme Court will today hear a petition seeking the dismantling or restructuring of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in connection with the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak. The plea is filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and United Doctors Front (UDF). Earlier, on Monday, the top court said it was “sad that NTA has not learned lessons from the earlier NEET paper leak” as it sought a response from the Centre, NTA, and CBI on pleas for the replacement of the testing agency with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance exam.
As ordered by the bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will file an affidavit by Thursday on compliance with the directions issued by the court in 2024. A copy of the petitions will also be served to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, besides other parties and asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to file an affidavit by Thursday on compliance with the directions issued by the court in 2024.
The apex court also directed the NTA to file its counter-affidavit in the case. The court further directed the chairman of the monitoring committee to ensure compliance with its directions.
In their plea, FAIMA and UDF sought directions to replace or overhaul the NTA and establish a more secure and autonomous mechanism for conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET UG).
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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 the NTA in ensuring the integrity and security of one of the country’s largest entrance examinations.
What are the petitioners seeking?
According to an earlier Indianexpress.com report, the petitioners have sought multiple directions from the Supreme Court aimed at overhauling the examination system and ensuring greater transparency and security in future medical entrance tests.
Among the key demands in the plea is a direction to replace or fundamentally restructure the NTA with a “robust, technologically advanced and autonomous body” for conducting NEET UG examinations.
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The plea has also sought the appointment of a high-powered monitoring committee comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, a cybersecurity expert, and a forensic scientist. According to the petitioners, the committee should supervise the re-conduct of NEET UG 2026 until a proposed National Examination Integrity Commission (NEIC) is formally constituted to oversee the examination process.
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FAIMA and UDF have further requested the court to direct the NTA, or any newly appointed examination body, to strictly implement the recommendations of the K Radhakrishnan Committee, which was constituted after the NEET 2024 controversy, to suggest reforms for improving the functioning of the testing agency.
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The petition additionally seeks a re-conduct of the NEET UG 2026 examination under the scrutiny of a judicially monitored committee until the proposed NEIC or an interim oversight panel verifies and certifies the security of the revised examination process.
Another major demand in the plea is the introduction of “digital locking” of question papers and a transition to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) model. The petitioners argued that such measures would eliminate physical chain-of-custody risks associated with the transportation and handling of question papers.
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The plea has also sought directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report on the NEET paper leak probe, including details of the network identified, arrests made, individuals charged, and the progress of prosecution in the case.
NEET UG 2026 was conducted earlier this month for medical aspirants across the country. The controversy surfaced after allegations of a paper leak emerged from multiple centres, prompting widespread protests and demands for the cancellation of the examination. The issue subsequently escalated with calls for a court-monitored probe and scrutiny of the NTA’s examination processes, drawing attention to concerns over exam security and transparency.
— with inputs from PTI