'Authorities haven't learnt lesson yet': Supreme Court on NEET-UG leak
What's the story
The Supreme Court has expressed disappointment over authorities not learning from past NEET exam paper leak incidents. "It's sad that they have not learnt a lesson on NEET paper leak despite several directions," the court remarked, according to Times Now. The court was hearing petitions from the Federation of Indian Medical Association (FAIMA) and United Doctors' Front (UDF) against the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Restructuring demand
Petitioners seek complete overhaul of NTA
The petitioners alleged "systemic failure" by NTA in conducting NEET-UG 2026 after a paper leak incident led to the cancellation of the exam on May 3. They have called for a complete overhaul of the NTA or its replacement, demanding that the NEET-UG 2026 exam be re-conducted under judicial supervision. The plea mentioned reports of "guess papers" on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, which allegedly contained over 100 questions from the actual exam paper.
Compliance request
Notices issued to central government, NTA, CBI
The Supreme Court has issued notices to the central government, NTA, and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the petitions. It also asked NTA to file an affidavit on compliance with directions suggested by a court-appointed monitoring committee in a previous NEET paper leak case. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on Friday.
Committee proposal
Petitioners propose high-powered committee for supervision
The petitioners have proposed a high-powered committee to supervise the re-conduct of NEET-UG 2026. This committee would be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and include experts in cybersecurity and forensic science. They also sought directions for digital locking of question papers and shifting to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) model to mitigate risks associated with physical paper handling.