The Supreme Court has advised the government to focus on creating long-term reforms within the National Testing Agency (NTA) instead of constantly switching between committees. This came after the NEET-UG 2026 exam paper leak, which caused widespread issues, including the cancellation of exams and protests.
The court highlighted that forming a new task force led by Nandan Nilekani should not mean completely discarding earlier recommendations from the committee headed by K. Radhakrishnan, a former ISRO chief. Justice P.S. Narasimha questioned why the government had not implemented the Radhakrishnan Committee’s suggestions to improve exam processes.
The court stressed the importance of building an “institutional memory” within NTA so that reforms are sustained over time and not reversed with each new committee. It urged the government to ensure reforms are carried out consistently by successive agency leaders rather than being temporary fixes after a crisis.
The bench also pointed out how the UPSC has successfully conducted exams without major issues, suggesting the NTA could learn from this model. The court asked the government to explain what steps it had taken to follow the Radhakrishnan Committee’s guidelines and create a system that remembers past lessons for future improvements.
The government responded by promising a “permanent mechanism” for reforms and acknowledged the need for an institutional memory bank. It also assured that any changes to NEET-UG would be made after consulting relevant authorities and giving candidates enough notice to adapt smoothly.
Overall, the court emphasized the need for continuity in addressing systemic issues within NTA to ensure reliable exam conduct and avoid recurring failures.