'PM Modi personally monitoring': What Centre, NTA told Supreme Court on NEET paper leak

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday informed Supreme Court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally supervising the re-examination process of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG after the recent paper leak."Prime minister is personally supervising so that there is no lacunae," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told Supreme Court during the hearing on NEET paper leak, news agency PTI reported."Some new mechanisms have been put in place for NEET-UG scheduled for June 21," the Centre said.The Supreme Court bench asked the Centre to hold accountibility and said: "It is actually very traumatic if something like this happens. We should not disappoint our youngsters."On this the Centre said, "We are dealing with youths, the government is seriously concerned about their concerns."Meanwhile the National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Supreme Court that it has introduced sweeping structural and security reforms in the aftermath of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy and the cancellation of the examination, news agency ANI reported.The submissions came in response to petitions filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the United Doctors Front (UDF), which sought a comprehensive overhaul of the examination body over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG 2026.In an affidavit before the apex court, the NTA said a High-Powered Steering Committee (HPSC), during a meeting on April 17, 2026, reviewed preparations for NEET-UG 2026 and proposed a series of safeguards covering pre-exam, during-exam and post-exam stages.The measures included mandatory CCTV checks and storage of footage for a minimum of 90 days, mock drills at examination centres, weather-related contingency plans, verification of power backup systems, emergency medical arrangements, and detailed inspections of centres in the week before the exam.The committee also recommended post-examination forensic analysis of CCTV footage to identify suspicious activity or irregularities that may not be detected in real time.The NTA further informed the court that the HPSC would meet again after NEET-UG 2026 to decide, in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, whether future NEET examinations should shift to Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode or continue in the existing Pen-and-Paper Test (PPT) format.According to the affidavit, several recommendations made by the High-Level Committee of Experts (HLCE) have already been implemented, while others are in advanced stages of execution.As part of the restructuring exercise, the NTA said 16 senior-level posts, including Director and Joint Director positions, have been created within the organisation. Two Joint Secretary-rank officers have been appointed as Additional Director Generals to oversee technology operations and examination security, while a Secretary-level officer took charge as Director General of the NTA in March 2026.The agency also said experts from institutions such as IITs, UGC, CBSE, KVS and IGNOU have been brought in to strengthen examination management and security systems.On coordination mechanisms, the NTA told the court that State-Level Coordination Committees (SLCCs) and District-Level Coordination Committees (DLCCs) have been formed nationwide to ensure secure conduct of examinations.The affidavit stated that by the time NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3, 2026, as many as 18 SLCCs and 621 DLCCs had been operationalised. These panels comprise officials from the administration, police, intelligence agencies, NIC and NTA to bolster surveillance and coordination during examinations.