The Supreme Court of India on Friday stressed the need for accountability over the NEET paper leak controversy, observing that such incidents were “actually very traumatic” not only for students but also for their families, while the Centre told the court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally supervising the situation to ensure there were no lapses.
A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe made the observations while hearing a batch of pleas related to the alleged leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test paper, including a petition seeking restructuring or replacement of the National Testing Agency with a more robust and autonomous examination body.
“The real problem won't stop till actual accountability arises,” the bench observed.
“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,” the court said, adding, “We should not disappoint our youngsters.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the government was seriously concerned about the issue and had already introduced fresh safeguards for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.
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“The Prime Minister is personally supervising the situation so that there is no lacunae,” Mehta submitted before the court.
The bench directed the Centre to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken in the matter and posted the hearing to the second week of July.
On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3 amid allegations of a paper leak. A re-examination has now been scheduled for June 21.
The alleged leak is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The issue has once again brought the integrity of public examinations under scrutiny. Following similar allegations during the 2024 NEET-UG controversy, the Supreme Court had declined to cancel the examination but issued several directions aimed at preventing paper leaks and laid down principles for cancelling public examinations in exceptional circumstances.
The fresh hearing comes amid growing concerns among students and parents over transparency, accountability and the credibility of national-level entrance examinations.
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