Supreme Court declines plea to hold NEET re-test in computer-based mode

The Supreme Court on Monday (June 1, 2026) declined to direct the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination in a computer-based test (CBT) format instead of the existing pen-and-paper mode, observing that altering the mode of examination at this stage would pose practical difficulties.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination, originally held on May 3, was cancelled nationwide on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. Consequently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched a probe, and a fresh examination has been scheduled for June 21.

A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Aravind Kumar expressed disinclination to grant the relief sought by the petitioner and deferred consideration of the plea until July, after the court’s partial working days conclude. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal lawmaker Sudhakar Singh seeking a range of directions concerning the conduct of the medical entrance examination.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner confined his submissions to the plea that the re-examination be conducted in CBT mode, contending that it would minimise the possibility of another paper leak. “Today I am not pressing any other prayer. It should be CBT,” he submitted.

The Bench, however, noted that similar pleas had been rejected in the past. Referring to the difficulties involved in re-conducting the examination within a short timeframe, it observed, “The kind of pressure that they have, similar matters we have dismissed.”

When the petitioner’s counsel argued that the authorities were proceeding with a pen-and-paper examination despite the paper leak, the Bench pointed to the logistical constraints confronting the examination authorities. “You know what kind of problems we are having. The examination was cancelled. It is being reconducted,” it remarked.

As the petitioner continued to press for a CBT-based re-test, the court indicated that it was not inclined to examine the issue immediately and directed that the matter be listed after the court’s partial working days conclude. “We will keep it after vacation,” the Bench said.

The petition has been tagged with a batch of pending cases seeking broader reforms in the functioning of the NTA and the conduct of competitive examinations.

Earlier, another Bench led by Justice Narasimha had raised serious concerns over the cancellation of the examination following allegations of a paper leak, describing the development as “very traumatic” for students and their families. The court had underscored the need for accountability in the face of lapses affecting lakhs of candidates.

“The real problem will not stop till there is actual accountability. Not in terms of so and so will be liable, it will be effective when we know which individual shoulders the responsibility. Unless you identify the specific duty-bearers, it will be difficult,” Justice Narasimha had observed.

The Bench had also directed the Union government and the NTA to place on record the measures taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

In its affidavit, the NTA informed the court that it had decided, in consultation with the Centre, to transition NEET-UG to CBT mode from the next examination cycle. It pointed out that the High-Level Committee of Experts (HLCE) constituted to review the examination process had recommended the shift, noting that all other major examinations conducted by the agency were already computer-based.

“The transition will be implemented from the next examination cycle in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (the client Ministry for NEET-UG), thereby bringing all major NTA examinations onto the CBT platform,” the affidavit stated.

The agency further informed the court that the June 21 re-examination would be conducted under a strengthened standard operating procedure framework incorporating multi-layer authentication, enhanced surveillance measures and greater inter-agency coordination.