Medical organization FAIMA moved Supreme Court
Meanwhile, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh told Business Standard that the exam pattern is unlikely to shift to online format this year.
“We are working on finalizing the schedule and it is unlikely that the exams will be conducted in online mode. The health ministry has asked us to continue with the exams in pen-and-paper mode,” Singh said.
According to details shared with Business Standard, FAIMA in its petition has sought fundamental restructuring of the NTA, arguing for the creation of a “more robust, technologically advanced and autonomous body” to conduct NEET in the future.
It has also called for introducing a “digital locking” system for question papers, a shift towards a computer-based testing model and directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report on the ongoing investigation before the court within four weeks.
“Our main prayer to the Supreme Court is to first dissolve the NTA at all levels from top to bottom. This happened in 2024 and the SC formed a committee, but the NTA did not incorporate many of the recommendations,” FAIMA national spokesperson Akash Soni told Business Standard. He said that NTA has not learned anything from the 2024 incident and continues to operate as before.
Soni said, “If we allow NTA to conduct the exam again, the entire country will feel that such leaks will happen again.”
FAIMA, in its petition, has also sought the direct appointment of a high-powered monitoring committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, a cyber security expert and a forensic scientist to monitor the conduct of NEET-UG 2026.
The petition in the apex court comes in the backdrop of recurring controversies over the national entrance examinations conducted by the NTA. The latest case centers on the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following fresh paper leak allegations, rekindling concerns over the integrity and security of India’s biggest medical entrance exam.
While a CBI investigation has been initiated and preparations for re-examination are underway, the episode has again exposed the weaknesses in the conduct of high-stakes national examinations, especially with regard to question paper management and prevention of leaks.
Earlier, the NEET-UG 2024 case had involved allegations of paper leak and irregularities in grace marks, nationwide protests, multiple legal challenges before the Supreme Court, arrests in states including Bihar and Gujarat, and a CBI investigation.
A government-appointed committee later presented 101 recommendations to improve the examination system, although many key suggestions have still not been implemented.
