Bureau Prayagraj- The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern over the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the case related to the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 exam and paper leak controversy. The court said that unless clear and individual accountability is fixed, Such problems will keep coming up again and again.
Justice P.S. A division bench of Justice Narasimha and Justice Alok Aaradhe was hearing petitions seeking dissolution of the NTA and comprehensive changes in its structure.
During the hearing, the court remarked that NTA needs to learn from the institutions which successfully conduct examinations on a large scale without any paper leaks. Justice Narasimha said“Such a situation never happened in UPSC examinations. NTA needs to learn from him.”
He further said that real solutions are possible only when it is clear who bears the responsibility for any failure. Merely fixing institutional responsibility will not be enough.
Supreme Court directs Central Government to file an affidavit explaining what steps are being taken to develop “institutional continuity” in NTA, So that in future the agency has the capacity and expertise to conduct examinations in a fair and safe manner.
During the hearing, Chairman of the high level committee formed in 2024 and former ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan was also present in the court. He informed that the committee had given 35 long-term and about 60 short-term recommendations., Most of which have been implemented. However the court asked if the reforms were implemented, Then how did a situation like paper leak arise this year?
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on behalf of the Central Government, assured the court that the Government is taking the issue extremely seriously. He said that following last year’s controversy, the entire examination process has been reviewed and new weaknesses have been identified and corrective measures have been taken.
The court also noted the impact on lakhs of students. Justice Narasimha said that such incidents are extremely painful and traumatic for students who spend years of time and emotions preparing for the examination. He suggested that NTA should develop permanent collaboration with universities and expert institutions so that the examination system can be continuously improved.
It is noteworthy that the exam was canceled after the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. After this, many doctor organizations and student groups approached the Supreme Court and sought dissolution of NTA., In its place, there has been a demand to set up a statutory National Examination Authority and judicial monitoring of future examinations. The affidavit filed by the Central Government will be considered in the next hearing of the case.
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