'Strict monitoring exists, but NEET leaked?' Supreme Court raps NTA
What's the story
The Supreme Court of India has expressed serious concerns over the recent NEET-UG paper leak. The court questioned how such a major breach could happen despite existing monitoring mechanisms and oversight committees. "What happened is traumatic for the youth... you cannot disappoint youngsters this way," the SC said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the National Testing Agency (NTA) and a High-Level Committee headed by Dr K Radhakrishnan during the hearing.
Monitoring scrutiny
Implementation level of recommendations after monitoring
Justice PS Narasimha asked Dr. Radhakrishnan about the level of monitoring after his committee's recommendations. He asked how much implementation had actually taken place. "Despite a high-powered committee, if this incident had happened, there is something wrong with the original recommendation, or there is no proper implementation....there must be some lapse in monitoring," the bench observed. It also asked Dr. Radhakrishnan what was not contemplated by the committee that allowed this breach to occur despite recommended safeguards.
Recommendations revealed
Investigations into paper leak ongoing
Dr. Radhakrishnan informed the court that his committee had made 101 recommendations to improve examination security and administration. He said most of these recommendations have been implemented, with some still in progress. Solicitor General Mehta said investigations into the paper leak are ongoing, with new measures being put in place for a re-examination on June 21. Mehta also told the bench that "PM is personally monitoring the lacuna."
Accountability focus
Reforms won't solve problem unless accountability fixed: SC
The Supreme Court stressed that reforms alone won't solve the problem unless accountability is fixed. The court clarified that accountability doesn't mean blaming one person but ensuring clarity on where responsibility lies. It also emphasized the need for "institutional memory" within systems to prevent reliance on ad hoc measures during crises. The bench directed the Union government to file an affidavit detailing how secure and accountable examinations will be conducted year after year.
Expert involvement
Shortage of domain experts within examination ecosystem addressed
Dr. Radhakrishnan told the court that one of the committee's major findings was a shortage of domain experts within the examination ecosystem. To address this, experts associated with highly competitive examinations like IIT-JEE have been brought into the process. The committee is also taking assistance from IITs and other expert institutions to strengthen examination security and oversight. The bench was hearing petitions seeking to disband the NTA.