The Supreme Court on Monday issued a sharp rebuke to the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding the recurring NEET paper leaks. A bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe expressed concern, stating it was regrettable that the NTA had not learned from previous incidents, despite earlier court interventions and committee recommendations.
The court sought comprehensive responses from the Centre, the NTA, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on petitions advocating for the replacement of the NTA with a more robust and autonomous body to oversee the crucial medical entrance examination.
Court Directives and Committee Scrutiny
In its directives, the bench ordered the NTA to file an affidavit by Thursday, detailing the steps taken to comply with court directions issued in 2024. All similar pending matters are to be tagged together for consolidated hearing. Copies of the petitions have also been directed to be served to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and other relevant parties.
Furthermore, the Centre-appointed committee, led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Radhakrishnan, has been instructed to outline its actions for overhauling the NTA's functioning and ensuring compliance with court mandates.
FAIMA's Plea for Systemic Reform
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) filed a plea urging the court to order a complete restructuring or replacement of the NTA. FAIMA asserted that the recurring paper leaks constitute a "direct assault" on the fundamental rights of over 22.7 lakh students. The association also proposed the establishment of a high-powered monitoring committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and including cybersecurity and forensic experts, to oversee re-examinations and prevent future leaks until a new body is fully constituted.
Ongoing Investigations and Arrests
The undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG), originally conducted by the NTA on May 3 for admission to medical programs, was cancelled on May 12 following widespread allegations of a paper leak. The CBI is currently investigating the matter.
In a related development, a Delhi court recently remanded Pune-based physics lecturer Manisha Sanjay Havaldar to six days of CBI custody. Havaldar, who served as a translator for NEET-UG, is accused of circulating physics questions intended for translation, making her a key suspect and the alleged source of the NEET-UG 2026 physics paper leak.