The Supreme Court on Friday sought an affidavit from the Centre detailing the steps taken towards reforming the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) system, with the government informing the court that a high-powered committee headed by Nandan Nilekani is expected to submit its first interim report by the end of September.
A bench of Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe directed the Joint Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), who is assisting the Nilekani panel, to place on record the measures taken so far.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the committee had undertaken exhaustive consultations and that all suggestions received had been placed before it. The panel had also consulted members of the earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
Court Stresses Permanent Institutional Structure
During the hearing, the bench emphasised the need to institutionalise the system for conducting NEET, observing that a permanent organisational structure was essential.
The court said the system should have a permanent setup, staff and dedicated verticals, with dependence on deputation kept to a minimum. It indicated that such measures were necessary for creating a lasting institutional framework.
Mehta told the court that the Education Department had created a new and upgraded system. He said permanence of the structure had been ensured, although human resources had only been partially put in place so far.
Judges May Visit Upgraded NTA Facility
Justice Narasimha said that he and Justice Aradhe would like to visit the newly upgraded facility of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to examine the system.
The development came as the court continued to examine the implementation of reforms relating to the agency responsible for conducting NEET.
Earlier Committees And Supreme Court Directions
On August 19, the Supreme Court had observed that reforms in the NTA needed to be institutionalised. It had directed the Centre to inform the court about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the K Radhakrishnan-led panel as well as the Nilekani committee.
The court is hearing a batch of petitions concerning the issue. These include a petition filed by advocate Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA).
