A parliamentary standing committee meeting convened to examine the merits of pen-and-paper versus computer-based testing turned into a political and institutional flashpoint on Monday. The National Testing Agency (NTA) defended its June 21 NEET-UG retest plan, while Congress chair Digvijaya Singh warned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal accountability was now on the line. Meanwhile, representatives of a doctors’ body that has approached the Supreme Court over the alleged NEET paper leak were prevented from deposing before the panel after objections from ruling party members.
The meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports — chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh — brought together top NTA officials including Director General Abhishek Singh, Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, and Health and Family Welfare Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava. The agenda was a comparative discussion on pen-and-paper and computer-based testing systems.
NTA: June 21 retest in pen-and-paper mode, CBT from 2027
NTA officials told the committee that the agency’s entire focus at present was on conducting the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21 in pen-and-paper format. The officials further informed the panel that NEET-UG is planned to transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) from 2027. The Agency cited enhanced examination security as the reason, and also something that was recommended by a high-level expert committee.
NEET UG 2026 Paper Leak | Guess paper questions in May 3 exam | Anatomy of a NEET leak | UG exam on June 21
When committee members pressed NTA officials on what safeguards were in place to prevent another paper leak on June 21, the officials assured the panel that adequate measures had been implemented. On concerns raised by members about the vulnerability of computer-based systems to hacking, NTA representatives said a special committee had been constituted to examine the issue, with a report expected within three months.
Digvijaya Singh: ‘PM has taken responsibility, if paper leaked, we will demand his resignation’
Outside the meeting, Committee Chairman Digvijaya Singh made remarks and referred to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission to the Supreme Court days ago — in which the government stated that Prime Minister Modi was personally supervising the June 21 examination to ensure there were no lacunae — Singh drew a direct line of accountability to the highest office.
Story continues below this ad
It has come in the public domain that the PM is so miffed with the failures and incompetence of Dharmendra Pradhan that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself,” Singh said. “Hence, he is accountable. We hope that it will be done properly. If a leak still happens, then we would have to ask for the PM’s resignation.”
Singh added: “Till now, we were asking for Pradhan’s resignation. But if the paper is leaked under the PM’s watch, then we would have to ask for the resignation of the PM.” The Congress leader, who has been part of the legislature since 1977, was careful to note he could not speak about what transpired inside the committee room — citing the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s instructions that committee deliberations cannot be disclosed until a report is presented in Parliament, failing which a breach of privilege case can be filed.
Doctors’ body blocked
The United Doctors Front — which has filed a petition before the Supreme Court alleging systemic failure in the NEET-UG examination process — was not allowed to make its presentation before the committee. Sources said the UDF had been called by the committee to depose, but faced strong objections from BJP members, after which they were disallowed from proceeding.
| Exclusive | What teacher who first flagged NEET leak wrote in his complaint
Story continues below this ad
The UDF, in its Supreme Court petition, has alleged that the examination process was fundamentally compromised in the wake of the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and has demanded the dissolution of the NTA in its current form, calling for it to be replaced by a statutory body.
(with PTI inputs)