New Delhi: The Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it is considering moving NEET-UG to a computer-based test like JEE, but said no final decision will be taken until the Nandan Nilekani-led task force submits its recommendations.
In its affidavit, the government told the court that two significant reforms are already underway: a tougher anti-cheating law — the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 5 crore — and the creation of the Nilekani-led task force on examination reforms.
The affidavit was filed in response to a plea moved by the All India Medical Association through advocate Tanvi Dubey, which sought directions to make NEET-UG leak-proof after allegations of paper leaks this year, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The Centre said the move from the present pen-and-paper model to a computer-based test is under active consideration by all stakeholders, but added that the final approach will be decided only after the High-Powered Task Force submits its report.
The affidavit also provided details of the security system already in place for NEET-UG, including multiple question paper sets prepared in isolation, six layers of tamper-proof packaging, and QR code- and Aadhaar-based tracking of each question paper box.
For the June 21 re-exam, the Centre said security was stepped up sharply, with 51,311 signal jammers, 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras and 87,000 personnel deployed for frisking and biometric verification.
The affidavit further said the National Testing Agency has already shifted most of its major examinations, including JEE Main, CUET-UG, CUET-PG, UGC-NET and CSIR-NET, to computer-based testing. NEET-UG, it noted, is now the only major national entrance examination still being conducted offline.
The Centre said NEET-UG follows a 10-step security system, covering everything from setting and printing the paper to its transport, storage and evaluation. It said the process is designed so no single person has unsupervised access at any stage, and includes tamper-proof packing, CCTV surveillance, armed escorts and digital tracking of question papers and OMR sheets.
The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Centre to examine whether NEET-UG could be held in computer-based mode. The issue will be heard again after the Nilekani-led task force submits its report.
