The Supreme Court on Friday said it would “very closely monitor” the Centre’s efforts to overhaul the National Testing Agency (NTA) and prevent future paper leaks in the NEET examination, while cautioning
against relying on temporary or ad hoc measures to secure one of India’s biggest entrance tests.
Hearing a batch of petitions filed by the United Doctors Front and the FAIMA Doctors Association over structural issues in the functioning of the NTA, a Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe emphasised that the focus must be on creating a permanent institutional framework rather than responding to crises with short-term solutions.
The hearing comes against the backdrop of the NEET paper leak controversy, which triggered nationwide outrage after allegations of question paper leaks and irregularities raised concerns over the credibility of the country’s largest medical entrance examination.
The controversy prompted the Centre to appoint the Radhakrishnan Committee to recommend structural reforms in the NTA and examination process.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the government had made progress on the proposed reforms and sought additional time to present a comprehensive plan.
“There is some progress. I request a few more days so that we can present a holistic view,” Mehta submitted.
Justice Narasimha, however, made it clear that the court expected lasting institutional reforms instead of temporary fixes.
‘AD HOCISM HAS TROUBLED US FOR YEARS’
Referring to extraordinary security arrangements adopted in previous examinations, Justice Narasimha observed that such measures could not become the long-term solution.
During the hearing, Mehta said the Centre would explain the entire process, from the printing of question papers to their transportation and eventual delivery to candidates.
“We will explain right from the printing press till the time the student gets the paper. For children, there cannot be any adversarial response,” the Solicitor General said.
The Bench noted that the government had even deployed the Air Force to transport question papers in the past to prevent leaks.
“You deployed the Air Force, but that is ad hoc,” Justice Narasimha remarked, adding, “Ad hocism has troubled us for years.”
The court said the objective now was to institutionalise safeguards so that such extraordinary arrangements would no longer be necessary.
COURT SEEKS COMPREHENSIVE REFORM ROADMAP
The Bench directed the Centre to file a detailed affidavit covering all aspects of examination reforms, including the structure of the proposed governing board, transparency mechanisms, stakeholder participation and the appointment of experts across various operational verticals.
Justice Narasimha also said the affidavit should explain how collaboration with domain experts, including premier institutions such as the IITs, would be incorporated into the new framework.
The court further sought details on reforms covering the entire examination cycle – pre-examination planning, conduct of the examination and post-examination processes.
Among the issues flagged by the Bench were the composition of state and district-level examination bodies, the possibility of conducting examinations in multiple sessions, secure printing and transportation of question papers, and post-examination safeguards.
SHIFT TO COMPUTER-BASED TESTING UNDER SCANNER
The Supreme Court also asked the Centre to spell out its proposal on transitioning NEET to a computer-based testing (CBT) format.
“It is a suggestion to shift to computer-based testing. Tell us the proposal, the cybersecurity and how it is to be conducted,” Justice Narasimha said.
The Bench also stressed that any move towards digitisation must be backed by robust cybersecurity measures.
“If you digitise it, how will you secure it?” the court asked, directing the government to explain how digital infrastructure and examination data would be protected against breaches.
Advocate Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the lead petitioners, also placed suggestions before the court regarding a shift to CBT and sought a blueprint of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) proposed by the Centre.
Assuring the court, Mehta said the Centre was implementing reforms beyond the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee and that the process was being supervised “at the highest executive level.”
“The government is taking ten extra miles. Everything is being supervised at the highest level,” he submitted, adding that any suggestions made by the court would be accepted without reservation.
Justice Narasimha concluded by making it clear that the Supreme Court would not treat the matter as a one-time exercise.
“We will very closely monitor it so that complete institutionalisation takes place. We can’t let this continue,” the Bench observed.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 27, by which time the Centre is expected to file its affidavit detailing the reforms and measures proposed to prevent future NEET paper leaks.
