NEET (UG) paper leak: SC directs Centre to detail steps taken on NTA reforms, seeks affidavit in 3 weeks

Observing that there is a need to institutionalise reforms in the National Testing Agency NTA the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to inform it about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee and the Nandan Nilekaniled committee news agency PTI reportedA bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said reforms in the NTA must be institutionalised and technological changes were needed for the smooth conduct of entrance examinationsThe sevenmember Radhakrishnan Committee was set up by the Ministry of Education in the wake of the National Eligibility Entrance Test Undergraduate paper leak to make recommendations on reforms in the examination process improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of the NTAThe government had also set up a highpowered task force led by Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani for structural reforms in competitive examinationsThe Radhakrishnan Committee has correctly said it is a systemic problem which needs institutionalisation which is the most important part of it This process on paper everything is good But then one exam happens and by the time the second exam happens it is a new picture all together the bench saidThe top court said the NTA should be equipped with all necessary infrastructure manpower and other technological capabilitiesSC seeks details on AI blockchainbased NTA reformsWe are informed that the committee which has been constituted has considered various recommendations for reforms focusing on leveraging advanced technology like AI and blockchain to strengthen the security and integrity of the examinationWe direct the Secretary to file an affidavit indicating and detailing the steps that have been taken to implement the suggestions made by the Radhakrishnan Committee as reflected and nuanced by the Nandan Nilekani Committee Affidavit with the indicative timelines to be filed within three weeks the bench saidAt the outset Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court about the process adopted with safeguards right from printing the NEET question paper till the students get itThe law officer asserted that the system in place for the NEET exams is foolproof and difficult to breachHe said several moderators are asked to prepare a question bank and they are not aware of which questions will be part of the question paperSeveral moderators are asked to prepare a question bank of say 500 questions for a subject so that one person is not deciding which 100 questions come in the question paper he saidSC calls for stronger NTA with institutional expertise and technologyExplaining the elaborate safeguards Mehta said the exam papers are sent to separate identified printers under CCTV cameras and surveillance of the CISFHe submitted that the question papers are transported under police escort and GPS tracking and stored in separate bank strong roomsMehta said on the day of the examination one set of question paper is selected transported to examination centres under security and opened in the presence of officials and students with the process being videographedAt this juncture the apex court pointed out that the safeguards being described by Mehta had already been considered by the Radhakrishnan CommitteeThe court stressed that there was a need to ensure that the NTA functions as a vibrant institutionOur duty is to ensure that there is a vibrant institution that the country can be proud of If you dont institutionalise experienced people get transferred and the entire experience is lost There are a lot of technological changes that have to be brought about the bench saidSC cites UPSC as model for building institutional expertiseThe bench also cited the example of the Union Public Service Commission UPSC to explain how an examinationconducting body develops institutional expertise over timeOver a period of time regularly they UPSC were conducting exam after exam and they have collected institutional memory and expertise because it happened over a period of timeThe body which is entrusted in conducting the exam ensures that it also upgrades itself and becomes a vibrant institution like that the bench observedThe apex court was hearing a batch of petitions including one filed by advocate Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the Federation of All India Medical Association FAIMAOne of the pleas sought a direction to replace or restructure the NTA which is responsible for conducting NEET UG with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance examinationThe paper leak allegations are under investigation by the Central Bureau of InvestigationAfter questions of NEET UG were allegedly leaked in 2024 the top court had refused to cancel the test but passed various directions aimed at tackling paper leaks and also laid down a criterion for cancelling public examsWith PTI inputs