The Union Government told the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday that the existing system for the conduct of the NEET UG exam is ‘foolproof’ and that it is difficult to breach, despite roping in human intervention at several stages of the process. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the government, detailed the elaborate safeguards followed while setting, printing and distributing the question papers.
The submissions by the Centre come months after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the May 3-dated NEET UG 2026 exam following a paper leak. The body subsequently ordered a re-test for June 21, triggering widespread outrage and anxiety among lakhs of medical aspirants.
The submissions were made while the top court was hearing a plea filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and other stakeholders, who had sought measures to shift NEET UG from the existing pen-and-paper mode to a Computer-based (CBT) mode.
How are the NEET question papers prepared?
To explain the mechanism, Mehta used a Physics paper containing 100 questions as an example. He told the court that several sets of moderators initially prepare a question bank containing 500 questions.
From this pool, another group of moderators select 100 questions each and prepare four separate question papers. The presses function under CCTV surveillance and CISF security, as per the government’s submissions.
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Mehta added that the person responsible for the sealed box possesses a digital key, while the box can only be opened after the printing press’s owner contacts the NTA Director General and obtains the required code.
Once the box is opened, no outsider is given the permission to enter the printing press, and a video of the entire printing process is recorded.
Printing presses not aware of exam centres
The Solicitor General then told the apex court that even the personnel at the printing press are not informed about the examination centres to which the question papers will eventually be sent.
He explained that the question paper and the OMR sheets are kept inside a sealed envelope. Moreover, the seal needs to be physically broken before the envelope can be opened.
Despite the Centre’s assertion that the system is robust, questions over the security of the NEET UG exam paper preparation and circulation remain as a focal point of the ongoing controversy.
Experts appointed by the NTA under scanner
The Centre’s claim of a foolproof system comes as 3 Pune-based experts appointed by the NTA have come under scrutiny during the ongoing probe into the paper leak. The experts under question are Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, responsible for Botany and Zoology; Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni, who handled Chemistry and Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, associated with Physics.
According to officials, Mandhare was involved in four stages of question paper preparation at the NTA facility in Delhi. The details presented indicate that all three experts had access to all four master sets, internally identified as Kailash, Shivalik, Set 2 and Set 3.
The Centre’s contrasting claims of a tightly secured examination system on one hand and scrutiny of the people involved in question paper preparation on the other are likely to remain central to the debate over how the pan-India medical entrance exam can be made more secure and resistant to leaks.