NEET-UG Paper Leak Case In Supreme Court: What steps were taken in NEET UP paper leak case, how far did the investigation reach… Supreme Court sought counter affidavit from Center and NTA

New Delhi. Hearing in the NEET UG paper leak case was held in the Supreme Court today. The top court has directed the Center and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to file detailed affidavits on the progress made in implementing reforms after the paper leak. The top court also sought status reports on reforms at every stage of the examination cycle, before, during and after the examination. Justice P.S. Listing the case for next Monday, a bench of Justices Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said, “We will keep a close watch on the matter.” We will ensure that the reforms are institutionalized. We will keep an eye on this throughout the year.

The top court has clarified that the affidavit should state the steps taken to institutionalize the reforms rather than relying on ad hoc measures. Justice Narasimha said that the deployment of the Indian Air Force after the paper leak (for safe transportation of question papers) was only a stopgap measure and cannot be a permanent solution. The court has also asked the Center to inform about its proposal on technologies like DigiYatra for verification of candidates. The court sought information about the proposed governing board, expert-led units, nomination of stakeholders and implementation of the recommendations of the high-powered committee in ten areas (which include digital infrastructure, security, research and development, transparency, governance and human resources).

The Center has also been asked to explain the role and progress of the recently appointed Additional Directors General for Security, Surveillance and Vigilance. Apart from this, the court has asked the Center to share with the state and district authorities about the progress made on testing methods, examinations to be conducted in multiple sessions, examination centres, question papers, printing and transportation. The court has also sought information about the proposal to switch to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) and data security measures.