Central Government Defends NEET-UG System Before Supreme Court Amid Leak Probe

The central government told the Supreme Court that the current system for conducting the NEET-UG exam is foolproof and difficult to breach, despite acknowledging that human interventions occur in the process. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta detailed the paper selection process to the court, explaining that moderators create a bank of 500 questions from which four different papers are prepared. The Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) then selects two of those papers, which are transported in sealed boxes under CCTV and CISF security to printers. The boxes require a digital key from the DG NTA to be opened, and the entire printing process is video recorded.

These submissions follow the cancellation of the May 3 NEET-UG paper due to a leak, which led to a re-exam on June 21 and widespread panic among students. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a plea from FAIMA and other stakeholders who are seeking to move the exam to a Computer-Based Test mode. While the government maintains the system is secure, a probe is focusing on three Pune-based experts appointed by the NTA for Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, and Physics. Reports indicate these experts had access to multiple master sets of questions during the preparation process. Separately, the court has ruled that children of central government staff will receive local status for MBBS admissions.