The Supreme Court of India has adjourned the NEET UG 2026 paper leak matter to August 19, giving time to the petitioners to respond to Centre's affidavit.
The hearing, earlier scheduled today (August 6) was supposed to be the first hearing in the Supreme Court after the Anti-Cheating Bill was passed in the Parliament. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 amends the 2024 law aimed at preventing cheating, question paper leaks and organised malpractices in public examinations conducted by agencies such as the NTA. Petitions were filed by Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and United Doctor’s Front (UDF) alleging systemic failures within the National Testing Agency (NTA). Through this plea, the medical associations are seeking the establishment of an independent body to conduct the examination. They have also demanded an immediate dissolution of NTA and a court-monitored CBI probe into the leak. Before this, Centre had flagged several changes to the way National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Undergraduate (NEET UG) will be conducted in the future. One of the main shifts that the Centre is considering is a possible shift from the current pen-and-paper format to a computer-based test (CBT). However, centre also clarified that a decision will be taken after the examination reform task force headed by technology expert Nandan Nilekani submits its recommendations. The Indian Government, on July 26, 2026, formed a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder and former UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani. Apart from Nilekani, the task force's members include domain experts from different streams such as Former ISRO Chairman S Somnath, Former IB Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, Former Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and Logistics Expert Amrit Lal Meena. The panel has been set up with the aim of suggesting measures to make competitive examinations more secure, transparent and less vulnerable to malpractice.
