Plea in Supreme Court seeks urgent shift of NEET-UG to computer-based test mode

A fresh petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking immediate transition of the National EligibilitycumEntrance Test NEETUG to a ComputerBased Test CBT mode contending that repeated paper leak controversies and alleged security lapses have exposed the vulnerability of the existing penandpaper examination system conducted by the National Testing Agency NTA According to the plea despite recommendations made by the highlevel committee headed by former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan after the 2024 controversy NEETUG 2026 continued under ldquosubstantially the same penandpaper framework involving physical printing storage transportation and handling of confidential examination materialrdquoldquoThe present penandpaper system is inherently vulnerable owing to dependence upon physical logistics chains strong rooms transportation networks and thirdparty operational mechanisms each creating multiple access points and possibilities of unauthorised disclosurerdquo the petition statedThe plea said that the Union government had already publicly announced that NEETUG would transition to a fully computerbased test mode from 2027 which itself amounted to an acknowledgement that ldquotechnological reform and secure digital examination architecture are necessaryrdquoldquoOnce the Respondents authorities have accepted the inevitability of transition to CBT mode postponing implementation despite the events of NEETUG 2026 lacks reasonable justificationrdquo it addedThe petition contended that the CBT mode would substantially reduce risks associated with physical handling of confidential papers through encrypted delivery systems digital audit trails biometric verification and realtime security protocolsSeeking urgent directions the plea prayed for conducting the retest scheduled on June 21 through the CBT mode instead of the existing penandpaper format It also sought directions to the Centre to prepare a timebound roadmap for the transition of NEETUG to a fully computerbased framework along with details of infrastructure development cybersecurity mechanisms and candidate accessibility measuresFurther the petition sought replacement of the NTA with a ldquonew independent transparent and professionally regulated National Examination Authority having statutory accountability judicial oversight and advanced technological safeguardsrdquoThe plea also sought the constitution of a highlevel monitoring committee comprising retired Supreme Court judges educationists psychologists cybersecurity experts forensic scientists and administrative experts to recommend structural reforms for the secure conduct of nationallevel examinationsIn addition the petition sought directions for the implementation of encrypted digital paper transmission systems biometric verification AIbased surveillance systems and strict cybersecurity protocols in national examinationsThe plea further prayed for strict criminal prosecution and fasttrack investigation against individuals coaching centres middlemen and officials allegedly involved in examination leaks and organised cheating racketsIt also sought a direction to the CBI to file a status report before the apex court within four weeks regarding the investigation into the alleged NEETUG 2026 paper leak including details of arrests charges and progress of prosecutionReferring to the NEETUG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 the petition alleged that ldquoguess papersrdquo and leaked material were circulated on digital platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram before the examination ldquoThe cancellation of a national examination affecting more than 22 lakh candidates itself demonstrates that the integrity of the examination process stood compromised and that the existing security architecture failed to preserve the confidentiality of examination materialrdquo the plea statedThe petition said that the National Testing Agency NTA cancelled the examination on May 12 after receiving investigative inputs regarding compromise of examination integrity and directed the reconduct of the test on June 21According to the plea the events surrounding NEETUG 2026 were ldquonot isolated incidentsrdquo but part of a continuing pattern of controversies linked to examinations conducted by the NTAThe petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution clarified that it does not challenge the cancellation or reconduct of NEETUG 2026 itself Rather its ldquolimited grievancerdquo concerns the ldquorepeated institutional failuresrdquo in the conduct of NEET examinations and the urgent need for structural reformsIt referred to instances of impersonation forged identities proxy candidates and organised solver networks allegedly detected during NEET examinations in 2021 as well as allegations of remoteaccess software misuse and organised cheating modules in JEEMain 2021The petition further cited the NEETUG 2024 controversy involving allegations of paper leaks circulation of solved papers suspicious grace marks and interstate cheating syndicatesReferring to the Supreme Courtrsquos observations in Vanshika Yadav vs Union of India 2024 the plea quoted the apex court as saying ldquoThis indicates that there is a serious lapse in security and that security measures which are stringent and effective must be implemented by NTArdquoThe petition also referred to the cancellation of UGCNET 2024 following concerns relating to compromise of examination integrityThe petition has been filed before the Supreme Court by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh social activist Anubhav Garg Dr Dhruv Chauhan National Spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association IMA and political leader Harisharan Devgan through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput advocateonRecord Neema along with a legal team comprising Muskan Singh and Adarsh SinghThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever