Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 1: The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, scheduled for June 21, be conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode instead of the traditional pen-and-paper format.

The plea was mentioned before a partial working-day bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Arvind Kumar. The bench refused to take up the matter urgently and said it would be listed after the court vacation.

Responding to the plea, Justice Narasimha observed, “They (NTA) are reholding the exam. The kind of pressure they have. We will post after vacation.”

Last week, the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the apex court that it had introduced a series of security and structural reforms following the paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the earlier NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.

In an affidavit filed before the court, the NTA said the decision to cancel the examination was taken in the interest of students and to maintain public confidence in the examination system.

The agency stated that a High-Powered Steering Committee had reviewed preparations for the re-examination and recommended stricter safeguards at every stage of the process.

According to the affidavit, the new measures include mandatory CCTV checks at examination centres, preservation of footage for at least 90 days, mock drills, weather contingency plans, verification of power backup systems, and emergency medical facilities.

The NTA further informed the court that forensic analysis of CCTV footage would be conducted after the examination to identify any suspicious activity or irregularities.

The agency also said it had undertaken organisational restructuring following the controversy, creating 16 new senior posts, including Director and Joint Director-level positions, and appointing two Additional Director Generals to oversee technology operations and examination security.

More than 22 lakh candidates had appeared for NEET-UG 2026, which was conducted at 5,432 centres across 552 cities in India and 14 overseas cities before it was cancelled over allegations of a paper leak.

NEET-UG is the country’s largest medical entrance examination and is conducted by the NTA for admission to undergraduate medical courses across India.