PM Modi personally monitoring NEET paper leak issue, Centre tells Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments in the NEET UG paper leak case, during which the Centre informed the court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the issue related to “lacuna” in the examination system.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, “PM is personally monitoring the lacuna,” underlining that the government was taking the matter at the highest level.
During the proceedings, Justice J Narasimha raised concerns over the effectiveness of the existing safeguards and questioned how such a lapse could occur despite the presence of a high-powered committee overseeing the examination system.
The judge remarked that the incident pointed either to shortcomings in the committee’s original recommendations or failures in their execution. “If such an incident has occurred despite a high-powered committee being in place, there is either something wrong with the original recommendations or there has been inadequate implementation,” he observed.
The Supreme Court noted that the notice earlier issued to the Union Health Ministry would now stand substituted with the Ministry of Education. The court directed the Education Ministry to explain the framework through which examinations are conducted and completed every year.
The bench also sought details on the systems in place to preserve institutional memory and expertise in the examination process. It asked the ministry to clarify how specialised personnel and subject experts are identified, deployed and retained to ensure the smooth and secure conduct of examinations on a recurring basis.
The Court observed that such incidents place emotional and psychological strain on students and their families, who invest years of hard work, preparation and hope in the examination process.
The court also directed the Central Government to submit an affidavit on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case and scheduled the next hearing for the second week of July 2026.