The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is taking comprehensive steps to protect students and ensure the fairness of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The assurance was given before a Bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe while hearing a batch of petitions related to the alleged NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak.

The Supreme Court said it is committed to ensuring that permanent safeguards are put in place to prevent such incidents in the future.

"We will monitor this. We will take that extra mile to ensure that things are put in place," the Bench observed.

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta told the Court that the government is treating the issue with the highest priority.

He said the government is taking every possible step to address students' concerns and that the entire process is being supervised at the highest executive level.

The Court remarked that the existing system cannot continue in its current form and stressed the need for lasting reforms instead of temporary solutions.

The hearing was adjourned till next week to allow the Centre to file a detailed counter-affidavit.

The petitions were filed after the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026, which was held on May 3, following allegations of a large-scale paper leak.

During the hearing, the Bench said its focus is on creating a strong institutional framework to prevent future leaks rather than relying on ad hoc measures.

It noted that emergency arrangements made this year, including transporting question papers with Air Force assistance, were only temporary solutions and called for a permanent system.

SG Mehta informed the Court that the government will soon file a detailed affidavit explaining every stage of the examination process—from printing the question papers to delivering them to students—and the safeguards in place.

He also said the Centre has fully accepted the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee, which was set up in 2024 after the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

The Court also asked the Centre to explain whether NEET can be shifted to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) model and to provide details on data transfer, cybersecurity and data protection measures.

According to the Bench, data security is a key concern if the examination moves to a digital format.

The Court said it will closely monitor the matter throughout the year to ensure that meaningful reforms are implemented.

The case will next be heard on Monday, July 27, by which time the Centre is expected to file its affidavit outlining measures to prevent future paper leaks.

Several petitions are pending before the Court. The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has sought restructuring or replacement of the NTA and has suggested measures such as digital locking of question papers, shifting NEET to a CBT format and publishing centre-wise results to detect irregularities.

Another plea by the United Doctors Front seeks the creation of a statutory national testing body with stronger oversight and parliamentary accountability.

A separate petition filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, social activist Anubhav Garg, Indian Medical Association spokesperson Dhruv Chauhan and political leader Harisharan Devgan also seeks a CBT-based NEET and replacement of the NTA with an independent examination authority.

The Court recalled that NEET had also faced paper leak allegations in 2024. While it had declined to order a re-examination at the time, it had directed the government to examine the issue through a high-level committee and improve the examination process.

However, in May this year, the Supreme Court observed that the NTA appeared to have learned little from the previous controversy and sought its response to the fresh petitions.