‘We will come and see’: On NEET, SC says to inspect NTA office; requests a progress report from the Nandan Nilekani Panel | Today’s news

The Supreme Court has reportedly sought a progress report from Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani’s task force, which was formed to suggest structural reforms in the National Eligibility Test (NEET).

Alleged irregularities in the NEET examination led to mass protests by the Janata Congress Party in June–July 2026.

The Center told the Supreme Court that the panel has conducted exhaustive consultations and is likely to submit its first interim report by the end of this month, news agency PTI reported.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said before Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that all proposals were submitted to a panel which consulted members of an earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.

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According to the Bar and Bench, the Supreme Court observed that the panel’s recommendations should not remain confined to paper and must translate into some effective changes in practice.

It told Mehta that the most important thing in this matter is that the government should look at institutionalizing the entire process of conducting NEET.

“Progress is one thing. What are the proposals? Institutionalization is the most important thing. You see, you know what we are a bit worried about. We had the Radhakrishnan Committee. So what we have today is only the report of the committee. Right? Period. It has to move forward. The most important part is to consider the recommendations and implement them,” the Bench said, according to the report.

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SC tells panel to file affidavit

A Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe directed that an affidavit in this regard be filed within two weeks. The court asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Joint Secretary, who is assisted by the Nilekani Senate, to file an affidavit before the court about the steps taken so far.

“We direct the joint secretary coordinating with the high-powered committee, the joint secretary, DoPT, coordinating with the high-powered committee to file an affidavit stating the progress made by the committee. Let the affidavit be filed within another two weeks from today. List after three weeks,” the court ordered, according to the Bar Association.

Judges to visit the NTA office

Justice Narasimha said he and Justice Aradhe would like to visit the newly upgraded National Testing Agency (NTA) facility to examine the system.

“We’re coming to see if the system is actually in place, if it’s working or not, the workforce, all these things,” the judge said.

The Supreme Court said the NTA now has a separate permanent premises near Minto Road. Justice Narasimha said he would physically visit it and check if manpower is available for a functioning system, the Bar and Bench said.

Justice Narasimha added that at least half of the NTA staff should be permanent and not all should be on deputation from other departments.

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“You have to know that the permanence of the whole system is key. There should be a permanent setup, permanent staff, permanent verticals. There should be very less representation. Only then will there be a permanent structure,” Mehta said.

“Also, your relationship with other labor institutions, how you cooperate with them, how much data there is… Whether we need legal support,” the court quoted him as saying.

Case

The Supreme Court was hearing a number of petitions filed in connection with the leaks of question papers related to the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) this year.

The petitions in the court include one filed by the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) through advocate Tanvi Dubey, which seeks the replacement or restructuring of the NTA.

Among other prayers, the plea sought “digital locking” of question papers, shift to computer-based test (CBT) model and publication of centre-based results to detect anomalies.

The petitioner also submitted an application with suggestions on how the transition to CBT could be carried out.

Another petition, filed by the United Doctors Front through advocates Ritu Reniwal and Charu Mathur, seeks the establishment of a statutory national testing body with better oversight and direct parliamentary accountability.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh, social activist Anubhav Garg, Indian Medical Association national spokesperson Dhruv Chauhan and political leader Harisharan Devgan also filed a separate suit.

The plea seeks inter alia the transition of NEET-UG to CBT format and replacement of NTA with a new independent examination body.

On August 19, noting the need to institutionalize reforms in the NTA, the apex court directed the Center to inform it about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel and the Nilekani committee.

The Supreme Court heard a number of petitions, including one filed by advocate Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the All India Medical Federation (FAIMA).

(With inputs from Bar and Bench)