Fix Accountability Or Else: Supreme Court Warns NTA As PM Takes Charge Of NEET Paper Leak Fallout

The Supreme Court launched a scathing attack on the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday, describing the recurring NEET paper leak controversy as very traumatic for students and demanding strict accountability.

As the government informed the bench that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally supervising the matter, the court sought a concrete plan for a complete overhaul of the examination system.

‘Accountability Must Be Fixed’

A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe did not mince words while hearing petitions seeking the dismantling or restructuring of the NTA. The court stressed that the "real problem won't stop till actual accountability arises" and asked the agency to identify the specific individuals responsible for the lapses that led to the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam.

Describing the immense pressure on young aspirants, the bench observed, “It is actually very traumatic if something like this happens, not just for the students, but also their families… They invest so much emotion” . The court also pointed to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as a model, noting that such integrity issues have never plagued its examinations, and urged the NTA to learn from it.

PM Monitoring, Govt Assures Action

Responding to the court’s tough stance, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the bench that the government is taking the crisis seriously. He informed the court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the situation to ensure "there is no lacunae" in the conduct of the upcoming re-examination.

Mehta stated that new, robust mechanisms have been put in place for the NEET-UG re-test, scheduled for June 21. However, the court remained focused on systemic failures, questioning why a high-level committee’s recommendations, which were supposedly implemented after the 2024 leak, failed to prevent the current crisis.

SC Seeks Blueprint for Overhaul

Rejecting short-term fixes, the Supreme Court directed the Ministry of Education to file an affidavit detailing long-term institutional reforms. The court asked for a plan explaining how the NTA will build "institutional memory" and expertise to prevent future breaches, emphasizing that the solution lies in systemic change rather than individual actions.

The petitions, filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), have called for the NTA to be replaced with a "robust, technologically advanced and autonomous body."

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the leak that forced the cancellation of the May 3 exam. The Supreme Court has posted the matter for further hearing in the second week of July.