On Friday, the Supreme Court turned its attention beyond the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and towards a larger concern: whether India's examination system is equipped to prevent such controversies from recurring. While hearing the matter, the Court called for a permanent institutional framework and directed the Union Government to spell out the safeguards and structural measures proposed for future examinations.
The Division Bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe examined affidavits placed on record by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, who headed the High-Powered Committee constituted in the aftermath of the NEET-UG 2024 controversy. Although the committee informed the Court that nearly 60 recommendations had been formulated and substantially implemented, and pointed to the successful conduct of the 2025 examination, the Bench questioned how a fresh controversy could arise despite those corrective measures.
The Court therefore shifted its attention from the immediate allegations to a broader institutional concern, examining whether the existing safeguards, monitoring mechanisms and administrative framework were capable of preventing similar incidents in future national examinations.
The Court observed that meaningful reform would remain elusive unless responsibility for implementing safeguards was clearly assigned and enforced. Noting that accountability often gets diluted within large institutions, the Bench remarked, “The real problem won’t stop till actual accountability arises. It will be effective when we know which individual shoulders the responsibility lies. Unless you identify the duty holders it will be a diffused obligation.” The Court further cautioned against institutional "adhocism" and stressed that examination bodies must develop enduring systems rather than depend on individuals. The Bench directed the Union Government to file an affidavit setting out a comprehensive roadmap to ensure that incidents similar to those witnessed in 2024 and 2026 do not recur.
The matter has been listed for further consideration in the second week of July.
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