Now Reading: Supreme Court seeks Centre’s action plan on NTA reforms in 3 weeks
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Supreme Court seeks Centre’s action plan on NTA reforms in 3 weeks
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to file an affidavit within three weeks detailing steps taken to implement recommendations by the K Radhakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani committees to reform the National Testing Agency (NTA). A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe observed that the NTA needs to be institutionalised with robust infrastructure, cybersecurity and specialised personnel, similar to the UPSC. The court said security measures alone are insufficient and a permanent institutional mechanism is needed to prevent systemic failures like the NEET-UG question paper leak.
The court was hearing petitions seeking structural reforms in the NTA after the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the current system as foolproof, detailing steps such as sealed paper packets, GPS-monitored transport and storage in bank strongrooms. The bench, however, noted that the Radhakrishnan committee had already identified question paper leaks as a fundamental systemic failure. Separately, the Delhi High Court refused to entertain a plea seeking to scrap the NTA, calling it a mixed bunch of prayers, and allowed the petitioners to file fresh pleas.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Supreme Court's emphasis on institutionalising the NTA shifts the frame from individual security lapses to systemic reform, a view the Radhakrishnan committee had already flagged. The Centre, via India Today and India Legal, highlighted its detailed security protocol, but the bench questioned whether those very systems had caused the problem. The Delhi High Court's refusal to hear the scrapping plea, reported by LiveLaw and Bar & Bench, focused on procedural technicalities, not the merits of NTA reform. The measured middle-ground is that the top court is now forcing the government to move from showcasing safeguards to implementing durable institutional changes. The next hearing in three weeks and the Centre's affidavit will be decisive.
Coverage: 6 sources, 1 government-critical, 4 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Sources (6): livelaw.in (neutral report), barandbench.com (neutral report), keralakaumudi.com (neutral report), india.com (sensationalist), indiatoday.in (government critical), indialegallive.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 6 sources.
