Terming the NEET paper leak controversy as “extremely painful” for students and their families, the Supreme Court on Friday emphasized the need for accountability in the matter while hearing pleas for reforms in the conduct of the medical entrance examination.A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Arade said that youth should not be disheartened by repeated mistakes in major exams. The bench said during the hearing that we should not let down our youth.“It’s really painful if something like this happens, not only to the students, but to their families and everyone,” the court said, adding, “They invest a lot of emotion.”The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions, including a demand to restructure or replace the National Testing Agency (NTA) with an independent and strong body to conduct NEET and other major entrance exams.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the government was taking the concerns of the students seriously and several new mechanisms had already been introduced for the upcoming re-test.“The real problem will not stop until real accountability is created,” the bench observed while discussing the repeated concerns over the integrity of the examination.Mehta told the court that the government is fully aware of the seriousness of the matter and added that Prime Minister Modi is personally monitoring the progress so that “there is no lapse”.The National Testing Agency had canceled the NEET UG 2026 exam to be held on May 3 after the paper leak allegations surfaced. The case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21 under the new monitoring measures announced by the NTA.Last year too, the Supreme Court heard several petitions following allegations of irregularities in NEET UG 2024.
