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'End errors' surrounding NEET exam: SC tells Centre 
24 Jul 2026

The Supreme Court has asked the central government to put an end to the "series of errors" surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate examination.

The court also sought details about plans for a shift to fully computer-based testing.

"Please...tell us how you will protect data when we shift to computer-based testing...We will see to it that everything is institutionalized," the bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said.

How will data be protected during transition to computer-based testing
Data security

The court said they would monitor the issue "very closely."

"We will monitor this. We will take that extra mile to ensure that things are put in place," it said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told the court that the matter is being viewed with utmost seriousness by the government.

"Government is going ten extra miles. Children's problems have to be addressed. Everything is being done under the supervision of the highest executive level," he said.

'We can't let it go on like this'
Bench

The SG also indicated that the government has accepted reforms to the National Testing Agency (NTA) proposed by a high-level committee formed in 2024 following the leak of the NEET-UG 2024 test.

The bench remarked, "We can't let it go on like this," before adjourning the case to July 27.

The court was hearing petitions seeking replacement or restructuring of the NTA after it canceled NEET-UG 2026 amid allegations of a paper leak.

Student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar
Protest escalation

The court said that it is concerned about ensuring systemic reforms and not stopgap fixes.

"We are focusing on institutionalization. Adhocism is what has troubled all these years...There must be something permanent," it observed.

The court's intervention comes amid student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET paper leaks.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike
Activist's protest

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike since June 28, demanding Pradhan's resignation. After his health deteriorated, he was shifted to Gurugram's Medanta Hospital, where he ended his fast.

The central government is reportedly planning to tighten laws against paper leaks. Amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, are in the works with provisions for fast-track courts and increased penalties for those involved in paper leaks, sources told NDTV.