The on Monday strongly criticised the over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, observing that the examination body had failed to learn from the mistakes made during the 2024 security breach.
Hearing petitions related to the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, the apex court said it was “sad” that despite previous directions and reform recommendations, another major examination controversy had occurred, affecting the future of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination, conducted earlier on May 3, was cancelled after allegations surfaced that the question paper had been leaked before the exam. Following the controversy, the Government ordered a probe by the (CBI).
The cancellation impacted nearly 23 lakh students who had appeared for the medical entrance examination. Authorities later announced that the re-examination would now be conducted on June 21, 2026.
A Bench headed by Justice P. S. Narasimha remarked that the 2026 paper leak appeared to be a repeat of the 2024 NEET controversy, which had also raised serious concerns about the security and transparency of the examination process.
The court recalled that during the 2024 case, it had directed the formation of a high-level committee under former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms for conducting NEET examinations in a more secure and foolproof manner.
Justice Narasimha observed that the court had spent considerable time hearing petitions in 2024 and had expected the recommendations to be implemented effectively. However, the recurrence of another major paper leak raised serious concerns regarding the functioning of the NTA.
The court was hearing petitions filed by the (FAIMA) and the .
FAIMA urged the court to either replace or fundamentally restructure the NTA, alleging that the agency had failed to implement meaningful reforms despite earlier directions from the Supreme Court.
The United Doctors Front also demanded that the NTA be converted from a registered society into a statutory body established through an Act of Parliament. According to the petitioners, such a move would ensure greater constitutional accountability and stronger parliamentary oversight.
The Supreme Court issued notices to the Union Government, the Ministry of Education, the NTA, and other concerned authorities regarding the petitions.
The court also directed the NTA to file an affidavit within three days explaining the steps taken to implement the recommendations made by the K. Radhakrishnan Committee. This includes details regarding proposals to shift NEET towards a computer-based testing (CBT) model and other security measures.
Additionally, K. Radhakrishnan was asked to submit a separate affidavit detailing the status of the committee recommendations and whether they had been properly implemented.
The petitions highlighted the need for major technological reforms in the examination system. Petitioners requested the court to direct authorities to adopt digital locking systems for question papers and gradually transition NEET into a computer-based examination to minimise risks associated with physical paper handling and transportation.
The petitioners argued that repeated controversies showed that minor administrative changes were insufficient and that a complete structural overhaul of the examination authority was necessary.
The petitions also pointed out that unlike bodies such as the (UPSC), the NTA is not directly accountable to Parliament. Since it operates under the Ministry of Education as a registered society, critics argued that it avoids stronger institutional scrutiny such as direct Parliamentary oversight and mandatory CAG audits.
According to the petitioners, the repeated paper leak incidents indicate deeper systemic issues that require legislative reforms rather than temporary corrective measures.
Following the cancellation of the original examination, the NTA has scheduled the RE-NEET UG 2026 examination for June 21, 2026. Students are currently awaiting further updates regarding admit cards, revised guidelines, and examination centre details.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter again later this week on an urgent basis.
