Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 27: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has shifted its confidential and sensitive operations to a new office at the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road in central Delhi as part of a major overhaul of its examination-security systems following the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
The agency has been allotted up to 55,524 square feet of space spread across the fifth floor and parts of the fourth and sixth floors of the building. The confidential operations were shifted to the new premises over the past month, with 39 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed to strengthen security and access control.
The CISF personnel will man entry and exit points and oversee security measures, including frisking, X-ray baggage screening and Door Frame Metal Detector (DFMD) checks. Confidential areas have been separately demarcated, with movement and operations inside these sections to be strictly monitored.
The security measures follow findings in the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 question-paper leak. The CBI chargesheet filed in July named 13 accused, including three NTA-appointed subject experts, and detailed security lapses in the agency's confidential section.
According to the CBI findings reported by The Indian Express, subject experts were not frisked while entering or leaving the confidential section. Investigators also found that the section did not have a dedicated CCTV live-feed monitoring control room. One of the experts allegedly used plain sheets provided for rough translation work to make small chits containing questions and answer options. Other experts allegedly memorised questions and later reproduced them outside the office.
The earlier NTA office in Okhla also had limitations in CCTV monitoring. According to the CBI probe, surveillance footage was retained for only about 20 to 25 days, while investigators required footage from the period when the alleged leak took place.
The NTA was established in 2017 under the Ministry of Education to conduct entrance examinations in a standardised, transparent and secure manner. The agency's examination-security mechanisms came under intense scrutiny following the 2024 NEET-UG controversy, following which the government constituted a high-level committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
The committee recommended strengthening security controls across the examination cycle, including question-paper preparation and handling, candidate registration, admit cards, computer-based testing, OMR processing, result preparation and other critical workflows.
As part of the ongoing overhaul, the NTA is introducing stricter access controls, encryption standards, immutable logging and tamper-evident storage for examination-critical systems. Security-readiness reviews of examination-supporting systems will also be carried out before each examination cycle.
The reviews will cover biometric authentication, face matching, CCTV systems and live-monitoring infrastructure, with the agency also working on an examination-specific cyber-incident response mechanism and enhanced Security Operations Centre (SOC) monitoring for examination days.
The NTA has also initiated changes to its organisational structure and staffing. The agency has brought in officers from services including the IAS, IPS and Indian Statistical Service, while specialised positions in areas such as security and technology are being strengthened.
To strengthen information security, the NTA has designated a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The position of General Manager and CISO has been advertised, with the selection process reportedly at an advanced stage.
Independent third-party cybersecurity audits by CERT-In and C-DAC-empanelled agencies are also continuing as part of the agency's broader effort to strengthen examination security and prevent future breaches.
The Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions concerning reforms in the NTA and implementation of the Radhakrishnan committee recommendations, has also sought details from the Centre on the progress of the restructuring and security measures. The court has indicated that its judges may visit the new NTA headquarters to assess its infrastructure and manpower.