'Need permanent solution to issues in NEET exam, NTA should be strengthened'; Supreme Court tells Centre

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the National Testing Agency (NTA) needs to be strengthened and institutionalised to ensure that examinations are conducted through a more scientific and secure system. The court observed that the NTA needs a technically robust and specialised mechanism for conducting examinations, similar to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe made the observations while hearing petitions seeking structural reforms in the NTA following this year's NEET-UG question paper leak. The court sought details from the Centre on the extent to which recommendations on examination reforms made by a committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan had been implemented. It also said the changes recommended by a committee headed by Nandan Nilekani should be considered.

The Centre was directed to file a fresh affidavit detailing the steps taken to implement the recommendations.

The apex court said introducing new security measures for a single examination alone would not provide a permanent solution to the problem. Reforms need to be implemented as a long-term and permanent measure, it said. The Supreme Court also noted that the K Radhakrishnan committee had identified question paper leaks as a fundamental systemic failure.

Meanwhile, the Centre explained to the court the measures being taken by the NTA to prevent NEET question paper leaks. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta claimed that the present system was “foolproof”. However, the Supreme Court said existing security measures alone would not be sufficient. It stressed the need to create a permanent institutional mechanism within the NTA instead of relying on individuals.

The court also highlighted the need to strengthen infrastructure, recruit specialised personnel, improve cybersecurity and upgrade technology to ensure the smooth and error-free conduct of large-scale national examinations such as NEET.