From Digital locking to NTA overhaul- What NEET leak petitions in SC are demanding
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi: The undergraduate medical aspirants appearing in the entrance test this year were shocked when the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body in charge of conducting the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2026 examination, cancelled the test held on May 3, citing reports of paper leak.
On its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the NTA posted, "In continuation of its press release dated 10 May 2026, the National Testing Agency wishes to inform candidates, parents, and members of the public of the following decisions taken in respect of NEET (UG) 2026. NTA had, on 8 May 2026, referred the matters then under consideration to the central agencies for independent verification and necessary action, consistent with its standing commitment to the fair, secure, and credible conduct of the national examinations entrusted to it. On the basis of the inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with the central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies and in order to ensure that there is transparency in the system, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately."
This came in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” which reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.
As an aftermath of the exam cancellation, protests were held, with aspirants and members of the medical fraternity blaming NTA and the Education Ministry for this failure. Even though a re-test has been announced and the Union Government has announced its decision to transition towards a Computer-based testing mode, demand for replacing NTA has been escalating.
Already, the matter has reached the Supreme Court as multiple petitions have been filed in connection with the paper leak controversy and the subsequent cancellation of the NEET examination. While some of the prayers include replacement of NTA, other demand include converting the NEET entrance test into CBT mode, appointment of high-powered committee to monitor the re-exam etc.
Doctors' Plea Seeks Replacement of NTA, Committee-monitored Re-exam:
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had earlier approached the Supreme Court praying for the replacement of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for holding the exam.
The association has urged the Court to issue directions to the Centre to either replace NTA or fundamentally restructure it "with a more robust, technologically advanced, and autonomous body for conducting NEET."
Other prayers by the association include, the direct appointment of a High-Powered Monitoring Committee chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge, a cybersecurity expert, and a forensic scientist, to supervise the re-conduct of NEET-UG 2026, until a National Examination Integrity Commission (NEIC) is formally constituted to oversee the re-examination and ensure no further leaks occur.
Further, the doctors under FAIMA Doctors Association have also urged the Court to conduct the NEET re-exam under strict judicial scrutiny, monitored by a judicially appointed high-powered committee until the proposed NEIC or an interim oversight committee constituted by the Court has verified and certified the security of the revised examination process.
FAIMA has also prayed that the Court mandate the locking of question papers and a transition to a "Computer-Based Test" model, and direct the Central Bureau of Investigation to file a status report regarding the paper leak probe.
PIL Prays for NEET Exam in CBT Mode:
Urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in this connection by Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN), and social activist Harisharan Devgan through Advocate Satyam Singh, Advocate Adarsh Singh, and Advocate Muskan Singh Bankura.
This plea seeks immediate transition of the National Eligibility-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, contending that repeated paper leak controversies and alleged security lapses have exposed the vulnerability of the existing pen-and-paper examination system conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
According to the plea, despite recommendations made by the high-level committee headed by former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan after the 2024 controversy, NEET-UG 2026 continued under “substantially the same pen-and-paper framework involving physical printing, storage, transportation and handling of confidential examination material”.
Referring to the Union Government's announcement of transitioning NEET-UG to a fully Computer-based test mode from 2027, the plea prayed for conducting the re-test scheduled on June 21 through the CBT mode instead of the existing pen-and-paper format.
It also sought directions to the Centre to prepare a time-bound roadmap for the transition of NEET-UG to a fully computer-based framework, along with details of infrastructure development, cybersecurity mechanisms and candidate accessibility measures.
The petitioners have argued that the CBT mode would substantially reduce the risks associated with physical handling confidential papers through encrypted delivery systems, digital audit trails, biometric verification and real-time security protocols.
Other prayers include- replacement of the NTA with a new independent and transparent body, constitution of a high-level monitoring committee to recommend structural reforms, etc. Additionally, the plea also sought directions for the implementation of encrypted digital paper transmission systems, biometric verification, AI-based surveillance systems and strict cybersecurity protocols in national examinations.
Plea by United Doctors Front seeks replacement of NTA with a fully independent statutory body:
Meanwhile, the United Doctors Front (UDF) has pointed out that NTA functions as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and not as a statutory body created by Parliament, despite conducting high-stakes national examinations including NEET-UG, JEE, CUET, and UGC-NET affecting crores of students annually.
Filing a plea before the Apex Court in this connection, UDF has sought major structural reforms in the national examination system and has demanded replacement of NTA with an independent statutory examination authority established through an Act of Parliament.
UDF has prayed for the Apex Court's directions for setting up a fully independent statutory national testing authority through Parliamentary enactment with direct parliamentary oversight, strong anti-paper leak mechanism, comprehensive CAG auditing and cybersecurity safeguards, statutory grievance redressal system, mandatory transparency provisions, and strict accountability framework.
Notice issued to NTA, Union Education Ministry:
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the NTA and the Ministry of Education, observing that the National Testing Agency (NTA) appears to have failed to learn from past controversies
During the hearing of a petition filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF), the division bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe expressed concern over the situation despite previous judicial intervention and orally remarked, "It's sad that they have not learnt their lesson."
Also Read: Supreme Court Questions NTA Preparedness Amid Escalating NEET 2026 Leak Controversy
