NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it would place on record the safeguards adopted to secure the NEET examination process, from the printing of question papers to their distribution at examination centres.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that the government would explain the entire process through an affidavit and sought time for the matter to be heard later this week.
“We want to place the methodology and safeguards on record,” Mehta told the court.
The bench said it also wanted to examine the process and scheduled for Thursday a batch of petitions seeking additional safeguards to prevent future NEET question paper leaks.
During an earlier hearing on June 24, the Supreme Court had said it would closely monitor the measures being taken to prevent future examination paper leaks while hearing petitions, including one filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA).
The court had then asked the Centre to outline the steps taken to enhance transparency, implement the recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, and adopt best practices, including elements of the IIT examination model.
Responding at the time, Mehta had assured the bench that the government was going beyond the committee’s recommendations.
“Students’ futures cannot be jeopardised. We are going beyond the Radhakrishnan Committee. I assure you the government is walking 10 extra miles. Everything is being supervised at the highest level,” he had said.
The litigation follows the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination held on May 3, which the National Testing Agency (NTA) scrapped on May 12 following allegations of a question paper leak. A re-examination was conducted on June 21, while the CBI is investigating the leak allegations.
In 2024, after similar allegations of paper leaks, the Supreme Court declined to cancel the NEET examination but issued directions aimed at strengthening safeguards against future leaks and laid down principles governing when public examinations may be cancelled.
Following the 2024 controversy, the Union education ministry constituted a seven-member committee headed by former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms in the examination system, improve data security protocols and review the functioning of the National Testing Agency.
