A writ petition has been filed before the Supreme Court of India seeking the dissolution and statutory overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination on 12 May 2026, after an alleged organised paper leak compromised the test taken by lakhs of medical aspirants on 3 May 2026. The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, argues that the NTA's repeated failures amount to a violation of fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21.

What the Petition Alleges

The plea contends that despite the NTA deploying AI-assisted CCTV surveillance, GPS tracking, and biometric verification for the NEET-UG 2026 exam, an organised 'guess paper' racket successfully bypassed all security layers. According to the petition, investigations by the Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) revealed that a handwritten guess paper containing around 410 questions was circulated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups nearly 42 hours before the examination.

The petition cited media reports claiming forensic analysis found a complete match of 90 Biology questions and 45 Chemistry questions with the actual NEET-UG 2026 paper. The leaked material was allegedly sold to candidates for amounts ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹25 lakh. The alleged racket was reportedly traced to a multi-state network spanning Maharashtra, Haryana, and Kerala.

'The recurring compromise of this examination is a direct assault on the fundamental guarantees of equality and right to life/livelihood,' the petition stated. The plea further noted that a CBI FIR had been registered and the exam's total cancellation served as 'a formal admission by the Respondents that the paper's sanctity was breached.'

The Structural Accountability Gap

At the heart of the petition lies a constitutional argument: the NTA, registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, operates outside direct parliamentary oversight. Unlike the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) or the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the NTA is not subject to mandatory Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audits or parliamentary committee scrutiny, the plea argued. 'It operates under the Ministry of Education, shielding it from direct CAG audits and mandatory parliamentary committee probes,' the petition stated.

The plea also invoked the Supreme Court's own observations in Vanshika Yadav vs. Union of India (2024), where the apex court had cautioned the NTA against 'flip-flops' and administrative lapses — warnings that, according to the petitioner, went unheeded.

Safeguards Called 'Cosmetic'

The petition argued that despite the enactment of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and the recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, the alleged 2026 leak demonstrated that post-2024 safeguards were 'merely cosmetic.' Specifically, the NTA reportedly failed to implement key committee recommendations including a transition to a computer-based or hybrid testing model, digital locking of question papers, and reduced dependence on private service providers.

What the Government Has Said

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Friday that NEET examinations would shift to a computer-based model from next year. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Pradhan described the fight against the 'education mafia' as 'long and sustained' and said the Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendations had been implemented, though 'a breakdown had happened somewhere in the chain of command.'

Pradhan confirmed that the NEET re-examination is scheduled for 21 June 2026, with admit cards to be issued by 14 June. Candidates will be allowed to choose their preferred examination city within a one-week window. The Minister also announced that previously paid examination fees would be fully refunded, no additional charges would be levied for the re-test, and students would receive an additional 15 minutes to fill in OMR sheet details.

What the Petition Is Seeking

The plea has urged the Supreme Court to constitute a court-monitored committee to oversee the transition of upcoming national examinations and ensure 'zero-leak' integrity. It has also sought directions to the Centre to enact legislation establishing a statutory national testing authority with mandatory CAG audits, parliamentary oversight, and legally enforceable anti-leak safeguards. This is not the first time the Supreme Court has been approached over NTA failures — the 2024 NEET-UG controversy had already placed the agency under judicial scrutiny. The outcome of this petition could reshape how India conducts its highest-stakes entrance examinations.