Supreme Court Faces Petition Over NEET-UG 2026 Exam Controversy: What’s Next?

Legal Challenge Against NTA's Examination Process

New Delhi: A writ petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court, questioning the 'systemic failure' of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in managing the NEET-UG 2026 examination. The petition calls for a restructuring of the NTA through a statutory framework established by Parliament.

Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the plea seeks to dissolve the NTA as it currently operates as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. It advocates for the establishment of a statutory national testing authority that would be directly accountable to Parliament.

The petition argues that the repeated breaches of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG), which serves as the sole entry point for undergraduate medical admissions in India, violate fundamental rights protected under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

Citing the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3, the petition claims that despite assurances of AI-assisted CCTV monitoring, GPS tracking, and biometric verification, the examination was compromised by an organized 'guess paper' scheme.

The petition states, 'The ongoing compromise of this examination is a direct attack on the fundamental guarantees of equality and the right to life and livelihood.'

According to the plea, investigations by the Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) uncovered that a handwritten 'guess paper' containing approximately 410 questions was disseminated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups around 42 hours before the exam.

Media reports indicated that forensic analysis revealed a complete match of 90 Biology questions and 45 Chemistry questions with the actual NEET-UG 2026 paper.

The leaked materials were reportedly sold to candidates for prices ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

The petition notes that the registration of a CBI FIR and the complete cancellation of the exam on May 12, 2026, serve as an acknowledgment by the respondents that the integrity of the paper was compromised.

It further claims that the alleged scheme was traced to a multi-state network spanning from Maharashtra and Haryana to Kerala, indicating that the NTA's local security measures were entirely circumvented by a national syndicate.

The plea argues that the NTA's current status as an autonomous society creates an 'accountability vacuum,' unlike constitutional or statutory bodies such as the UPSC and SSC, which are directly answerable to Parliament.

Operating under the Ministry of Education, the NTA is shielded from direct audits by the CAG and mandatory inquiries by parliamentary committees, according to the petition.

The plea also contends that repeated leaks and examination errors undermine the right to equality by eroding merit-based selection and infringing on students' rights to dignity and livelihood.

'The State’s 'Zero-Tolerance' policy remains a mere promise, while the actual burden of administrative failures is placed on candidates through the trauma of indefinite re-testing,' it states.

The petition references the Supreme Court's remarks in the case of Vanshika Yadav vs. Union of India (2024), where the court warned the NTA against 'flip-flops' and administrative failures.

Despite the enactment of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and the recommendations from the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, the alleged leak indicates that the safeguards introduced post-2024 were merely 'cosmetic.'

The petition asserts that the NTA has failed to implement critical recommendations from the committee, such as transitioning to a computer-based or hybrid testing model, digitally securing question papers, and reducing reliance on private service providers.

Seeking immediate action, the plea requests the formation of a court-monitored committee to oversee the transition of future national examinations and ensure 'zero-leak' integrity.

It also calls on the Centre to legislate the creation of a statutory national testing authority with mandatory CAG audits, parliamentary oversight, and legally enforceable protections against paper leaks.

In response, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that NEET examinations will transition to a computer-based format starting next year. During a press conference in the national capital, Pradhan emphasized the urgent need to move examinations online due to ongoing paper leak controversies and the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026.

Describing it as a 'long and sustained fight' against the 'education mafia,' the Education Minister stated that the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee had been implemented, although 'a breakdown had occurred somewhere in the chain of command.'

He assured students that the entire government apparatus would work to prevent any malpractices during the re-examination process.

Pradhan also announced that the NTA would conduct the NEET re-examination on June 21, with candidates receiving their admit cards by June 14.

Students will have the option to select their preferred examination city and will be given a one-week window to do so.

Additionally, the Minister stated that students would receive an extra 15 minutes to complete the OMR sheet and clarified that previously paid examination fees would be refunded, with no extra charges for the re-test.