Supreme Court asks government to spell out CBT plan, pushes NEET reform

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday made it clear that it would push for systemic reforms rather than short-term measures to safeguard the integrity of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). A division bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said it will "focus on institutionalisation", adding that "adhocism is what has troubled all these years".

The bench also said it will monitor the matter throughout the year. "We will take that extra mile to ensure that things are put in place," Justice Narasimha verbally remarked. In response, solicitor general Tushar Mehta assured the bench that the "government is going ten extra miles. Children's problems have to be addressed. Everything is being done under the supervision of the highest executive level".

He sought time to file the Centre's counter-affidavit, adding that there was "some development in the offing". He said the government was taking a "holistic view" of systemic changes to safeguard the integrity of the NEET examination.


The solicitor general also indicated that the government had accepted reforms recommended by a high-level committee set up in 2024 to review the functioning of the NTA after the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2024 paper. The bench reiterated that ad hoc arrangements were no substitute for permanent reforms. "We are focusing on institutionalisation...this year because of what happened you had deployed the air force to transport (the exam papers). But that's only an ad hoc situation. There must be something permanent," Justice Narasimha said. "We can't let it go on like this," the bench added, before adjourning the matter till next week to allow the Centre to file its detailed counter-affidavit.

The bench also sought the Centre's response on transitioning NEET to a computer-based test (CBT).

"Another important aspect the (Radhakrishnan) committee had suggested was the transition to computer-based testing. Please tell us what the thought is on that. Who is to undertake (the cybersecurity)? How is it to be conducted, etc.? How is the data to be protected? Data safety is the most important aspect," Justice Narasimha said.

The court asked the Centre to file a comprehensive response covering measures to prevent future paper leaks and its position on shifting NEET to a computer-based format. It urged the government to submit its counter-affidavit "as early as possible".

The observations came during the resumed hearing of a batch of petitions, including one filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), which has sought restructuring of the NTA. Among other measures, the petition sought "digital locking" of question papers, a transition to a computer-based test model and publication of centre-wise results to detect anomalies.