New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally supervising the situation following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy, the Centre informed the Supreme Court on Friday, as the apex court stressed the need to fix individual accountability within the National Testing Agency (NTA) to prevent recurring lapses in national-level examinations.
A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was hearing a batch of pleas seeking structural reforms in the conduct of the NEET-UG examination, including an immediate transition to computer-based testing (CBT) Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the Union government was treating the issue with utmost seriousness as it directly impacted the country’s youth.
“The Hon’ble Prime Minister is personally supervising this,” SG Mehta submitted, adding that the Centre was deeply concerned about safeguarding the interests of students.
The apex court, while expressing concern over repeated controversies surrounding the examination, observed that the problem would persist unless specific responsibility is assigned to individuals handling various aspects of the examination process.
“The real problem won’t stop till actual accountability arises. Not in terms of so and so will be liable, it will be effective when we know which individual shoulders the responsibility. Unless you identify the duty holders it will be a diffused obligation,” the Justice Narasimha-led Bench remarked.
Calling the recent developments “traumatic” for students and their families, the Supreme Court said the nation cannot afford to disappoint lakhs of aspirants who invest years of effort and emotion preparing for competitive examinations.
“It is very traumatic if this is happening. We cannot disappoint our students. It is not merely the student, it’s the family too. It is so much of emotions, love, time, years of study,” it observed.
Stressing the need for institutional reforms within the NTA, the apex court observed that the country’s examination bodies should not function in an ad hoc manner.
“The problem is that most institutions are ad hoc. It’s a phenomenon that is everywhere in the country. It’s not the individual who has the capability but the institution,” it said.
Drawing a comparison with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Justice Narasimha-led Bench observed that the NTA should learn from institutions that have successfully conducted large-scale examinations without facing similar controversies.
“UPSC has never been in such a situation, you need to learn,” the top court remarked.
To strengthen examination systems, it also endorsed the idea of sustained collaboration with academic institutions and domain experts, including IITs, to continuously improve examination management and security protocols.
The Justice Narasimha-led Bench directed that the Ministry of Human Resource Development, instead of the Union Health Ministry, file a comprehensive affidavit detailing measures required to strengthen the NTA’s organisational capacity and human resources.
“The endeavour is to ensure that NTA would have the wherewithal, physical and intellectual, to ensure that no incident such as 2024/2026 examination occurs,” the apex court said while posting the matter for further hearing in July.
(IANS)
