New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- The Supreme Court on Friday said institutionalising reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) was essential to prevent recurring NEET paper leaks and indicated that the judges may visit the agency's upgraded Delhi facility to assess whether the new system is functioning effectively. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said the examination system needs a permanent structure, staff and dedicated verticals, with minimal deputation. "Permanency of the entire system is key," the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who said the NTA had overhauled its administrative and infrastructure arrangements, although its human resources were only "partially ensured" at present.
The Centre also informed the court that a seven-member high-powered panel led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has completed extensive consultations and is expected to submit its first interim report by the end of September. The panel has considered stakeholder suggestions and consulted members of the earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
The court directed a DoPT joint secretary assisting the panel to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken so far. It also ordered the NTA's affidavit to be uploaded on its website and asked the Centre to appoint a nodal counsel to receive public suggestions.
The proceedings follow allegations of NEET-UG paper leaks, including the cancellation of the May 3, 2026 examination on May 12. A re-test was conducted on June 21 and results were declared on July 16. The Centre has also said a computer-based NEET format is under consideration and cited the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, which strengthens the legal framework against examination fraud.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.