Parliamentary panel members grill NTA top brass over NEET paper leak | Today’s news
Several members of Parliament on Thursday questioned senior officials of the National Testing Agency over the NEET-UG controversy, with the agency’s director general reportedly saying that the exam paper had not penetrated the NTA system and that the matter is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), sources told PTI.
The discussion took place during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sport, where MPs sought details from NTA officials on measures being put in place to strengthen the vetting process and prevent future document leaks.
The panel convened top officials of the Education Ministry, including Education Minister Vineet Joshi. NTA officials, including Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi and CEO Abhishek Singh, gave a detailed presentation on the Radhakrishnan report’s recommendations on reforms in the agency.
Sources told PTI when asked by MPs about how the National Eligibility Test (Graduate) paper was leaked, Singh said it did not get through their system.
Read also | NTA NEET 2026 Re-Exam Guidelines FAQ: How will refunds work?
To this, several MPs asked him how the paper was leaked and what was the need to cancel the exam and conduct a retest, PTI reported.
According to PTI, citing sources, the NTA Directorate General said that the Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the matter.
Several opposition MPs demanded that the investigation report be submitted to a parliamentary panel, while some members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the request, arguing that the CBI was an independent agency and should be allowed to conduct its investigation without interference.
Sources said Singh gave a detailed presentation on the implementation of steps recommended in Radhakrishnan’s report on NTA reforms and informed that around 70 per cent of the proposed short-term measures have already been implemented.
NTA officials told the panel members that steps are being taken to develop a reliable examination system and a comprehensive review is underway. They also said that trustworthy people should be involved in the paper setting and distribution system.
Read also | Who is Shivraj Motegaonkar? Founder of Latur-based RCC arrested by CBI in NEET case
NTA officials said that consideration is being given to conducting NEET through Computer Based Testing (CBT) platform and future exams could be conducted through this mode.
The MPs learned that they have raised the issue of understaffing and filling vacancies in the NTA to ensure the efficient functioning of the agency and prevent leakages.
Sources said the NTA informed members of the committee that there is currently a staff shortage of around 25 per cent in the agency and systematic steps are being taken to fill all such vacancies to fill any gap.
The chairman of the parliamentary panel, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, said after the meeting: “Whatever discussions take place in the parliamentary committee, we are under oath and cannot discuss it.”
He later said, “The meeting went very well. We got inputs from all the members. The members expressed their concerns about the NEET paper leak.”
Earlier, after enumerating the steps taken by the NTA and the government to prevent violations and malpractices, agency officials said detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) and checklists for managing violations in both the PPT and CBT regimes have been sent to stakeholders and engagements with state or district administrations to conduct high-stakes investigations and report malpractices are being actively monitored on social media.
Read also | I asked ChatGPT what will change when NEET goes digital from next year
The NTA informed the panel that it conducted NEET (UG) 2026 on May 3 at 5,432 centers in 565 cities (including 14 cities abroad). The exam was conducted in 13 languages and more than 22.7 million candidates registered out of which more than 22.05 million appeared in the exam.
Radhakrishnan’s committee made several recommendations, including harmonization and unification of entrance tests for university admissions, gradual transition to computer-based adaptive testing, and creation of a public testing platform and NTA infrastructure.
Long-term measures proposed by the high-level expert committee include a shift from pencil-and-paper to computer-based testing, the introduction of multi-section and multi-stage testing, and setting the number of attempts and age limits. These will be implemented after consultation with the Ministry of Health and Social Care.
The NTA is also focused on creating cloud-based infrastructure, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain for secure monitoring, phasing out reliance on test delivery agencies by building its own testing software, and institutionalizing pilot testing.
Read also | Karnataka, TN seeks rollback of state medical entrance exams after NEET paper leak
The NTA said it plans to introduce advanced cryptographic technologies and strengthen network security systems, while developing a modern examination framework based on domestic and international best practices, including learning from the ETS methodology.
The agency informed a parliamentary panel that on May 7 — four days after the NEET-UG exam was conducted — it received information about the alleged malpractice related to the test. According to the NTA, these inputs were forwarded to central agencies on the morning of May 8 for independent verification and necessary action.
Based on the information reviewed by the NTA in coordination with the central agencies, along with the findings shared by the enforcement agencies, a decision was later taken to cancel the NEET-UG 2026 and conduct the review again on June 21.
