The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that it has undertaken a comprehensive structural overhaul of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to eliminate paper leaks and systemic failures, introducing a 10-stage security mechanism and heightened legal penalties.
In a compliance affidavit submitted to a bench led by Justice P S Narasimha, the Ministry of Education outlined measures to establish a secure, institutionalised examination system designed to build institutional memory and prevent future malpractices. The filing responds to the top court’s May 29 directive requiring the Centre to explain its strategy for future NEET administrations and the retention of operational knowledge over successive testing cycles.
High-Powered Panel and Technological Upgrades
To drive systematic improvements, the government constituted a High-Powered Task Force on Examination Reforms on July 27, chaired by Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani. The panel is mandated to submit recommendations within three months on comprehensive reforms, specifically exploring artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies to secure examination processes.
As part of new operational safeguards termed a “fortress” model, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has deployed multi-tiered physical and digital protections. To restrict exposure during translation, the government is utilizing air-gapped AI systems for initial question drafting, supplemented by limited human verification. Additionally, every question paper and OMR answer sheet now carries a unique serial number tied to an individual candidate. Physical test materials are transported in six layers of tamper-evident packaging within steel trunks secured by single-use locks.
Stricter Penalties and Institutional Accountability
The affidavit highlighted recent statutory changes under the Public Examinations Amendment Act, 2026, which builds on 2024 legislation criminalizing paper leaks, impersonation, and computer tampering. The updated law provides for prison terms of up to 10 years and fines reaching ₹1 crore for offenses compromising public examinations.
The government clarified that while the Ministry of Education exercises oversight over the NTA, the entrance test is conducted by the agency on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which acts as the test-indenting body. The affidavit noted that its contents do not address the merits of the active Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Background and Judicial Scrutiny
The submission follows repeated legal and administrative challenges surrounding the medical entrance test. The NTA cancelled the May 3, 2026 NEET examination on May 12 amid paper leak allegations, subsequently conducting a re-examination on June 21.
During a May 25 hearing, the Supreme Court remarked on the NTA’s failure to absorb lessons from earlier incidents and issued notices to the Centre, the NTA, and the CBI regarding petitions advocating for the replacement of the testing agency with an autonomous entity. The pleas included an application filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association through lawyer Tanvi Dubey. Following earlier alleged leaks during the 2024 NEET-UG examination, the Supreme Court had declined to annul the test but issued binding directives to curb paper leaks and established criteria for cancelling public examinations.
