The Supreme Court on Sunday issued notices to the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) on a batch of petitions alleging irregularities and paper leak in the NEET-UG 2026 examination, intensifying scrutiny over the country’s premier medical entrance test.

The petitions, including one filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF), have sought the dissolution of the NTA and demanded a fresh NEET-UG examination under the supervision of a monitoring committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge.

A bench led by Justice P. S. Narasimha made strong oral observations during the hearing and questioned whether the NTA had implemented corrective measures despite earlier judicial intervention over examination irregularities.

“NTA has not learned their lesson despite the Supreme Court’s earlier intervention on the issue,” the bench orally observed while hearing the matter. (barandbench.com)

The Court also directed the NTA to file an affidavit detailing the status and functioning of the Monitoring Committee that had earlier been constituted following Supreme Court directions in previous examination-related matters.

In a significant direction, the apex court ordered the appointment of former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan as chairman of the monitoring committee overseeing compliance with court directives related to examination reforms and procedural safeguards.

“We also direct K Radhakrishnan to be appointed as the Chairman of the monitoring committee, indicating compliance with the Court directions. List this matter on Thursday,” the Court said.

The petitions before the Supreme Court allege large-scale irregularities, question paper leaks and deficiencies in examination security protocols during the conduct of NEET-UG 2026. Petitioners have argued that the credibility of the examination process has been severely affected and have demanded independent oversight and systemic reforms.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is conducted annually by the NTA for admission to undergraduate medical courses across India and is considered one of the country’s most competitive entrance examinations. More than 20 lakh candidates reportedly appeared for the 2026 examination this year.

The controversy comes nearly two years after the massive NEET-UG 2024 row that triggered nationwide protests, multiple arrests and judicial proceedings over allegations of paper leaks, grace marks irregularities and examination malpractice. The Supreme Court had then emphasised the need to maintain the sanctity and integrity of national-level examinations while directing reforms in examination management and security systems.

The latest proceedings are expected to have major implications for the future functioning of the NTA and the conduct of large-scale competitive examinations in India.

NEET re-exam demand | Business Upturn

Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, NTA over NEET-UG 2026 paper leak allegations