The Supreme Court on Monday refused to direct the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct NEET-UG 2026 re-examination through Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode instead of the existing pen-and-paper format, citing the practical difficulties involved in changing the examination process at a stage when the agency is already grappling with the fallout of the recent paper leak and cancellation of the exam.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar expressed unwillingness to grant the relief sought by the petitioner and adjourned consideration of the matter till July, effectively paving the way for re-examination on June 21 in the traditional pen-and-paper mode.
The bench was hearing the petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Sudhakar Singh seeking various directions on the conduct of NEET exam.
During Monday’s hearing, petitioner’s counsel narrowed his challenge to a single prayer requesting that a re-examination be conducted through a cognitive behavioral therapy setting. “Today I do not press any further prayer. It must be cognitive behavioral therapy,” the lawyer submitted.
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But the court noted that similar petitions had been rejected previously. “Similar issues have already been rejected by us,” the court noted.
When the lawyer said that the authorities were continuing to conduct the physical examination despite the controversy over the paper leak, the court pointed to the conditions in which the National Tax Agency currently operates.
He added: “You know what kind of problems we are facing. The examination has been canceled and is being re-conducted.”
The panel also noted the burden currently faced by examining authorities, and reiterated that the court had rejected similar requests in the past. “The kind of pressure they are under, and things like that, we rejected it,” she noted.
Since the petitioner insisted on seeking re-test based on CBT, the bench indicated that it was not inclined to examine the case immediately and posted the matter after the court’s leave. “We will keep him after the holiday,” the substitutes said.
The petition is tagged with a host of pending cases seeking broader reforms in the functioning of the NTA and the introduction of high-stakes national tests.
The order comes days after another bench led by Justice Narasimha raised serious concerns over the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of paper leak, terming the development “extremely distressing” to students and their families.
While hearing petitions demanding structural reforms in the examination system on May 29, the court questioned the NTA’s accountability mechanisms and sought detailed affidavits from both the Union government and the agency on measures taken to prevent recurrence of incidents similar to the NEET-UG 2024 and 2026 controversies.
The court noted on May 29 that repeated failures despite implementing reforms indicate deeper institutional flaws. “The real problem will not stop until real accountability is established,” the report said. “Unless duty bearers are identified, it will be a diffuse obligation.”
The issue of converting NEET to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) status also figured prominently in the reform debate before the Court.
According to an affidavit filed by NTA last month, NEET-UG 2026 is currently the only major examination conducted by the agency which continues in pen-and-paper mode. The expert committee constituted after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy had specifically recommended shifting the exam to a computer-based format along with introduction of multi-session and multi-stage exam, the affidavit revealed.
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The NTA informed the court that the proposal is under consideration in consultation with the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission and that the matter will be discussed further after the current examination cycle.
The agency also identified a series of long-term reforms being implemented to enhance exam security, including artificial intelligence-based CCTV monitoring, development of secure exam centres, improved cybersecurity systems, mobile jammers at exam centres, randomization of paper preparation processes and wider deployment of technology to reduce human interference.
The wider set of petitions filed in the Supreme Court seeks reforms in the examination system after NEET-UG 2026 was canceled on May 12 following allegations of paper leakage. The re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21, while the Central Bureau of Investigation continues its probe into the alleged diversion and cheating racket.
The court is expected to hear the case regarding reforms in the NTA’s performance in July.
