Govt informs Supreme Court of major NEET reforms to prevent paper leaks

The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that it has significantly revamped the NEET examination system by introducing new security measures, technology-based safeguards, and stricter legal provisions to prevent paper leaks and examination fraud in the future.

Submitting a compliance affidavit before a Bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha, the Ministry of Education said the reforms are intended to create a more resilient and institutionalized examination mechanism with stronger monitoring systems and fewer operational vulnerabilities.

The affidavit was filed after the apex court directed the Centre to explain the measures being adopted to ensure future NEET examinations are conducted without repeating the lapses that led to the cancellation of this year's test.

Among the key reforms is a new 10-layer security mechanism for conducting the examination, which the Centre described as a "fortress" model.

To tighten confidentiality, the government said question papers will undergo multiple security checks before reaching examination centers.

It added that the initial drafting and translation process will use air-gapped (offline) artificial intelligence systems, with only limited human intervention for verification, reducing the possibility of information leaks.

The affidavit also stated that each question paper and OMR answer sheet will carry a unique serial number mapped to an individual candidate, enabling authorities to trace examination material more effectively.

The transportation of question papers has also been redesigned. According to the Centre, the papers will be sealed using six layers of tamper-evident packaging and transported in steel trunks secured with one-time-use locks that can only be opened by cutting them.

The center further told the court that it has constituted a High-Powered Task Force on examination reforms under Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend long-term structural improvements in the conduct of public examinations.

Constituted on July 27, the panel has been given three months to submit its recommendations. Its terms of reference include examining the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to enhance examination security and modernize India's assessment framework.

Highlighting legislative changes, the center said Parliament has enacted the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, strengthening the existing legal framework introduced in 2024.

The amended law prescribes punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and fines of up to ₹1 crore for offenses such as paper leaks, impersonation, computer tampering, and other forms of examination-related fraud.

The government clarified that the affidavit does not deal with the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) had canceled the May 3 NEET-UG examination after allegations of a paper leak emerged. A fresh examination was subsequently held on June 21.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had expressed dissatisfaction with the NTA's handling of recurring paper leak incidents and sought responses from the center, the NTA, and the CBI on petitions seeking a stronger and more independent examination authority.

Through the affidavit, the center assured the apex court that the latest reforms are designed to strengthen the integrity of the NEET examination process and make future examinations more secure, transparent, and resistant to organized malpractice.