New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) on a series of petitions questioning the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination, including allegations of a paper leak and demands for structural changes within the testing body.
A bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha issued notices while hearing petitions, one of which was filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF). The petitioners have sought the dissolution of the NTA, alleging repeated lapses in examination management, and have requested a fresh medical entrance test under the supervision of an independent panel led by a former Supreme Court judge.
During the hearing, the bench expressed concern over what it described as the agency’s failure to implement lessons from previous judicial scrutiny related to examination irregularities.
The court orally remarked that despite earlier intervention by the apex court on similar concerns, the NTA appeared to have failed to improve its systems and safeguards.
The bench also directed the testing agency to submit a detailed affidavit clarifying the current status of the Monitoring Committee that had been set up earlier following judicial directions to strengthen transparency and accountability in examination processes.
In a significant direction, the court ordered the appointment of K. Radhakrishnan as the chairman of the monitoring committee, stating that the move would ensure compliance with its previous instructions regarding oversight mechanisms.
“We also direct K. Radhakrishnan to be appointed as the Chairman of the monitoring committee, indicating compliance with the Court’s directions,” the bench observed while scheduling the next hearing for Thursday.
The matter assumes significance as NEET-UG remains the country’s largest medical entrance examination, with lakhs of students competing for admission to undergraduate medical courses every year. Allegations of question paper leaks and procedural irregularities have triggered anxiety among aspirants and renewed calls for reforms in the examination system.
The Centre and the NTA are expected to present their responses when the matter is taken up later this week. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for the future structure and functioning of India’s national-level entrance testing framework.
