The Centre on Friday informed the Supreme Court (SC) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally overseeing the government’s response to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, as the court sought a detailed explanation of the ongoing investigation and corrective measures.
During the hearing of petitions challenging the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, “Honourable Prime Minister is personally supervising.”
The apex court directed the Centre to submit an affidavit explaining the monitoring process, implementation measures, and how authorities plan to conclude the probe into the alleged leak. The matter will now be taken up again in the second week of July.
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Supreme Court voices concern over impact on students
The bench, led by Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, raised concerns over the emotional and academic toll such incidents have on students preparing for competitive examinations.
Observing that candidates invest years of effort and immense emotional energy in these tests, the court remarked, “It’s very traumatising so much investment of emotions and time.”
Referring to examination systems such as UPSC, the court questioned how such a breach could occur despite safeguards and expert recommendations already being in place.
“Despite a high-powered committee, if this incident happened, there is something wrong with the original recommendation, or there is no proper implementation,” Justice Narasimha said.
The bench further noted, “It is actually very traumatic if something like this happens, not just for the students, but also their families and everybody. They invest so much emotion.”
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New safeguards planned for re-examination
Responding to the court’s concerns, Mehta said fresh mechanisms have been introduced to strengthen the examination process ahead of the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.
The hearing comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that question papers were leaked before the exam. The probe is currently being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Background of the NEET-UG controversy
The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG examination held on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak. The test is a key gateway for admission to undergraduate medical courses across the country.
A fresh examination has been scheduled for June 21. The issue has also revived discussions around examination security, especially after the Supreme Court in 2024 had declined to cancel NEET-UG despite similar allegations, while issuing directions aimed at preventing future paper leaks and laying down principles for dealing with compromised public examinations.
