NEET-UG irregularities report ready, committee to submit findings soon in SC

The Union government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the high-powered committee, tasked with probing the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024, has finalised its report and recommendations.
“The report of the committee is ready. I need some time to finalise and submit it,” solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, told a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud.
Accepting the SG’s statement, the bench, which also comprised justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, gave the Centre two weeks to put the report on record.
On September 24, the government had sought a three-week extension until October 21, for the committee to finalise and submit its report, which was initially due by September 30, as per a prior court directive.
This application had stated that the panel, which is also expected to recommend structural reforms in all national level tests, held 22 meetings to address the complexities involved in conducting such large-scale exams, the risks and the security measures.
According to the application, the committee’s consultations included online inputs via the MyGov Portal, where over 37,000 responses were received from students, guardians and education experts, besides physical consultations with stakeholders, including state governments, police officials, regulatory bodies and global testing experts.
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The issue arises from a series of irregularities that surfaced during the NEET-UG 2024 exam, which was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and held on May 5, across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, with over 2.3 million students competing for 108,000 seats.
Earlier, the top court took NTA to task for its mishandling of the NEET-UG, emphasising that while the integrity of the exam was not entirely compromised, serious lapses by the body raised concerns about the fairness and reliability of a botched process that was further marred by allegations of paper leaks and widespread malpractice.
In a detailed judgment released on August 2 — five days after the court rejected multiple petitions demanding a NEET-UG retest through a brief order– the top court also proposed a series of structural reforms aimed at overhauling the examination process to restore public confidence and rectifying the “serious lapses” in the NTA’s administration. This included tamper-evident packaging for question papers, use of secure logistics providers, stringent identity checks, data security protocol, regular audits and surprise checks. and installation of comprehensive CCTV surveillance systems at all examination centres, among others.
To ensure that NTA adhered to these reforms, the bench expanded the remit of a committee constituted by the Centre to investigate and address the structural issues identified in the judgment. The committee, originally tasked with reviewing the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam, has now been directed to include these additional reforms in its recommendations.
The seven-member committee, chaired by former Isro chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, has been tasked with making recommendations on the stringent security protocols. Additionally, the court emphasised the need for enhanced identity verification measures to prevent impersonation and urged NTA to conduct regular audits and surprise inspections of exam centres.
“The formation of a committee is essential to thoroughly investigate and address the structural issues. A dedicated committee with suitably qualified experts can ensure a comprehensive review of the security measures, candidate verification processes, and the overall management of the examination. By identifying and rectifying vulnerabilities, such a committee will help restore trust in the examination system and implement robust safeguards to prevent future malpractice,” held the bench in the August 2 judgment.
The court had granted an extension for the committee’s report until September 30 and instructed the Union education ministry to implement a plan of action based on the committee’s findings within a month of receiving the report. The ministry was also directed to report its compliance with these directions to the court, ensuring that the reforms are not only proposed but also effectively implemented.