The Supreme Court on Friday sought a detailed response from the Center on whether it plans to convert the NEET-UG exam into a computer-based test (CBT), how it proposes to protect test data, and implement key recommendations made by the expert committee after the 2024 paper leaked, stressing that temporary measures cannot replace a permanent institutional system to ensure the integrity of the examination process.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe observed that extraordinary arrangements such as deployment of the Indian Air Force to ferry question papers during this year’s NEET re-examination can only serve as short-term solutions.
“We cannot let a situation like this pass.”
“We cannot allow such a situation to continue like this. We have to focus on institutionalization. Personalization is what has troubled us for many years,” the council said.
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The observations came while hearing a batch of petitions filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), United Doctors Front (UDF) and others seeking to replace the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a responsible statutory body.
Initially, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asserted that the issue was being monitored at the highest executive level and that the government would go “an extra ten miles” to address concerns affecting students.
While the bench observed that the government will have to go the extra mile to resolve the issues raised in the petitions, Mehta replied: “The government will go the extra mile by 10 miles as the problems of children have to be addressed.”
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The court referred to the NTA’s earlier affidavit detailing the progress of recommendations of the seven-member High Level Committee of Experts (HLCE), which was constituted by the Education Ministry in 2024 and headed by former ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan to examine the performance of the NEET examination system and recommend reforms. The committee submitted its report in October 2024, proposing sweeping changes, including a move to cognitive behavioral therapy.
When questioned by the Center about the proposed shift, the board said: “This year you deployed the Indian Air Force to deliver papers during the NEET re-examination. But this can only be ad hoc. What about the shift to CBT? In that case, it will not be physical transfer of question papers. How will the data be protected? Leakage can happen if the data is not secure. This is what is most important. We need to know your opinion on CBT, the security aspect associated with it, and who is doing it.”
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Mehta informed the court that there have been developments since the previous proceedings, referring to the ongoing student protests over the NEET paper leak and the proposed new legislation.
“I have instructions to say that the government may go beyond what the committee has recommended. I will give a comprehensive view if the court gives me time. With children, there cannot be an adversarial approach,” Mehta said.
Advocate Tanvi Dubey, representing the petitioners, stated that they also proposed measures to strengthen the examination system, including switching to computer-based mode.
The bench adjourned the matter for hearing on August 3 and directed the Center to file a comprehensive reply explaining how it proposes to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee relating to transparency, security, monitoring, vigilance, human resources, finance, legal aspects and printing and transmission of question papers.
The Center assured the court that it would accept any constructive suggestions without reservation.
Responding to the assertion, the bench said: “We will ensure that the recommendations divided into three parts – pre-screening, during screening and post-screening are fully institutionalized.”
Earlier, while issuing notice on the petitions in May, the Supreme Court had expressed concern that despite the leak of the NEET-UG paper 2024 and the safeguards directed by the court later, not enough lessons have been learned.
The petitions referred to the Supreme Court order of August 2024, which noted that the Education Ministry had constituted a seven-member expert committee in June 2024 to conduct a comprehensive examination of the NEET examination process and recommend a standard operating procedure to plug systemic loopholes and prevent paper leakage in the future.
To implement these recommendations, the Center formed a high-level steering committee on November 14, 2024, and issued the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to deter malpractices in public examinations.
The petitions also sought further reforms, including mandatory digital locking of question papers to eliminate physical handling and transfer, and, in the longer term, the establishment of an independent National Examination Integrity Commission (NEIC) comprising experts in the field to ensure a foolproof exam system.
