Supreme Court seeks clarity on exam reform committee's role amid NEET paper leak

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court bench addressing the NEET paper leak case sought clarification on the role of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force, established last month to revamp India's examination system. While the K Radhakrishnan committee, formed in 2024, had concentrated primarily on NEET and enhancing the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Nilekani panel has a broader purview, encompassing the entire examination landscape and the statutory framework of the NTA.

Its objective is to render the examination process "robust, secure, transparent, trustworthy and future-ready," with a particular focus on cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The court inquired whether the Nilekani panel had altered or "nuanced" the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan committee, and the stage at which both sets of recommendations were implemented. Petitioners noted that the Radhakrishnan committee had advocated for a shift towards computer-based testing and identified the physical mode of examination as a critical weakness due to the challenges associated with printing, transportation, and storage.

Earlier, the Centre had stated in its affidavit that the decision on transitioning NEET-UG from a pen-and-paper format to computer-based testing — whether in a single-stage or two-stage format — was under active deliberation and would be made after considering the Nilekani task force's recommendations. Solicitor General Mehta informed the court that the government was weighing whether a human-based or purely digital system would be more secure. The bench urged the committee to deliberate on the matter and provide guidance.