SC refuses to alter NEET re-test format ahead of June 21 exam

THe sublime margaret court on mon refused to verbatim the subject Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination through a computer-based test (CBT) mode instead of the existing pen-and-paper format, citing the practical difficulties involved in altering the examination process at a stage when the agency is already grappling with the fallout of the recent paper leak and cancellation of the test.A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar expressed disinclination to grant the relief sought by a petitioner and deferred consideration of the matter until July, effectively clearing the way for the June 21 re-test to be conducted in the conventional pen-and-paper mode.The bench was hearing a petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal lawmaker Sudhakar Singh, seeking various directions concerning the conduct of the NEET examination.During the Monday’s hearing, the petitioner’s counsel confined his challenge to a single prayer seeking conduct of the re-examination through CBT mode. “Today I am not pressing any other prayer. It should be CBT,” submitted the counsel.Also Read:NEET (UG) 2026: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta announces free bus travel for candidatesThe bench, however, noted that similar pleas had previously been rejected. “Similar matters we have dismissed already,” observed the court.When counsel argued that the authorities were proceeding with a physical examination despite the paper leak controversy, the court pointed to the circumstances under which the NTA was currently operating.“You know what kind of problems we are having. The examination was cancelled, it is being reconducted,” it remarked.The bench further referred to the burden currently faced by the examination authorities and reiterated that the court had declined similar requests in the past. “The kind of pressure that they have, similar matters we have dismissed,” it observed.As the petitioner persisted with the request for a CBT-based re-test, the bench indicated that it was not inclined to examine the issue immediately and posted the matter after the court’s vacation. “We will keep it after vacation,” said the bench.The petition has been tagged with a batch of pending cases seeking broader reforms in the functioning of the NTA and the conduct of high-stakes national examinations.The order comes days after another bench led by Justice Narasimha raised serious concerns over the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of a paper leak, describing the development as “very traumatic” for students and their families.While hearing petitions seeking structural reforms in the examination system on May 29, the court questioned the NTA’s accountability mechanisms and sought detailed affidavits from both the Union government and the agency on measures being taken to prevent a recurrence of incidents similar to the NEET-UG 2024 and 2026 controversies.The court had on May 29 observed that repeated failures despite implementation of reforms suggested deeper institutional shortcomings. “The real problem won’t stop till actual accountability arises. Unless you identify the duty holders it will be a diffused obligation,” it had remarked.The issue of shifting NEET to CBT mode has also figured prominently in the reform debate before the court.According to an affidavit filed by the NTA last month, NEET-UG 2026 is presently the only major examination conducted by the agency that continues in pen-and-paper mode. The affidavit disclosed that the expert committee constituted after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy had specifically recommended migration of the examination to a computer-based format along with introduction of multi-session and multi-stage testing.Also Read: HT interview: CBT can eliminate 95% vulnerabilities in NEET exam, says BansalThe NTA informed the court that the proposal is under consideration in consultation with the Union health ministry and the National Medical Commission and that the matter would be deliberated further after the current examination cycle.The agency also outlined a series of long-term reforms being implemented to strengthen examination security, including AI-based CCTV monitoring, development of secure testing centres, enhanced cybersecurity systems, mobile jammers at examination centres, randomisation of paper-setting processes and wider deployment of technology to reduce human intervention.The broader batch of petitions before the Supreme Court seeks reforms in the examination system following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 on May 12 after allegations of a paper leak. The re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21, while the Central Bureau of Investigation continues its probe into the alleged leak and cheating racket.The matter relating to reforms in the NTA’s functioning is expected to be taken up by the court in July.