The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern over the NEET-UG paper-leak controversy, questioning how such a significant breach could take place despite the existence of monitoring systems and expert committees tasked with safeguarding the examination process.
Appearing before the court were Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre, and former ISRO Chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan, who heads the high-level committee constituted to recommend examination reforms.
The court took on record affidavits filed by the NTA and Dr Radhakrishnan whilst granting the Centre additional time to submit its response. However, the focus of the hearing quickly turned to the effectiveness of the reforms and monitoring mechanisms introduced after previous concerns about examination security.
Emphasising the need for robust institutional safeguards, Justice P.S. Narasimha remarked that whilst examinations conducted by the UPSC have not witnessed such breaches, the NEET paper-leak controversy should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to strengthen security and accountability mechanisms.
Questions for the monitoring committee
Justice P.S. Narasimha questioned Dr Radhakrishnan about the extent of monitoring undertaken after the committee submitted its recommendations. Pointing out that Dr Radhakrishnan had first served on the high-powered committee and later on the monitoring committee, the judge sought details about how the implementation of the recommendations was being tracked.
The bench observed that if a paper leak could still occur despite ongoing monitoring, it raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the oversight process itself. The court also asked what vulnerabilities had escaped the committee's attention and allowed the leak to happen despite safeguards that had been recommended earlier.
Over 100 reforms suggested
Responding to the court's queries, Dr Radhakrishnan said the committee had proposed 101 recommendations to strengthen examination administration and security. Of these, 60 were short-term measures intended for implementation during the 2025–26 examination cycle.
According to him, most recommendations have already been implemented, whilst the remaining measures are in various stages of execution. He told the court that the NTA had undergone significant strengthening over the past several months and that substantial improvements had been made in examination processes.
Source of the leak identified
When the court sought an explanation for the leak, Dr Radhakrishnan stated that the problem originated during the question-paper setting process. He informed the bench that this aspect was now being further strengthened under a secure testing implementation framework.
Assuring the judges that vulnerabilities had been identified and addressed, he claimed that the reforms had led to a phenomenal improvement in examination systems and expressed confidence that such an incident would not recur during the upcoming re-examination. "Our target is reform," he told the court.
Court stresses accountability
While acknowledging the reform efforts, the Supreme Court made it clear that procedural improvements alone would not be sufficient unless accountability was clearly fixed.
The bench observed that the problem would persist unless institutions established responsibility for failures. The judges clarified that accountability did not necessarily mean identifying a single individual, but rather ensuring clarity about where responsibility ultimately lies when systems fail.
The court warned that committees, reviews, and meetings would have limited value unless institutions could clearly identify responsibility and learn from mistakes, preventing repeated failures in the future.
Centre assures stronger security measures
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that investigations into the leak were continuing and that new security mechanisms were being introduced ahead of the June 21 re-examination.
He assured the bench that the issue was being monitored at the highest levels of government and that multiple safeguards would be put in place to prevent a recurrence. The Centre also emphasised the seriousness with which the matter was being handled.
The Solicitor General also told the court that the Prime Minister was personally supervising the issue, underscoring the seriousness with which the government was treating the matter.
Building permanent institutional capacity
A recurring theme during the hearing was the need to institutionalise reforms rather than rely on temporary responses whenever a crisis emerges.
The Supreme Court stressed the importance of creating institutional memory within the NTA and developing a permanent framework capable of conducting secure examinations year after year. The judges noted that ad hoc measures often create fresh challenges and that long-term systems were necessary to maintain credibility in national-level examinations.
To that end, the court directed the Ministry of Education to file a detailed affidavit explaining how examination security, specialised expertise, and long-term management systems would be strengthened in the future. The ministry has also been asked to explain how domain experts and institutional knowledge will be integrated into the examination ecosystem.
Greater role for experts and institutions
Dr Radhakrishnan informed the court that one of the committee's key findings was the shortage of domain experts in the examination system. To address this, experts associated with competitive examinations such as IIT-JEE and other specialised institutions have been brought into the process.
The Supreme Court also suggested deeper collaboration with premier educational institutions and universities to improve examination governance. The Centre responded that IIT faculty members and other experts were already assisting in developing stronger safeguards and monitoring mechanisms.
Students at the centre of the debate
The court acknowledged the immense emotional and academic burden borne by students and their families due to the controversy. Observing that years of preparation and emotional investment are tied to examinations like NEET-UG, the bench emphasised the need to restore confidence in the system.
As proceedings continue, the Supreme Court appears focused not only on addressing the immediate fallout of the paper leak but also on ensuring lasting institutional reform. The outcome of the case is expected to influence the future governance of the NTA and the conduct of high-stakes national examinations for years to come.
