NEET-UG: NTA backs pen-and-paper retest amid parliamentary panel's exam security concerns

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 1 defended its decision to conduct the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination in pen-and-paper mode on June 21 during a meeting of a parliamentary standing committee, while a political controversy unfolded over accountability for any future exam lapses.

The meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, focused on the relative merits of pen-and-paper examinations and computer-based testing (CBT).

Senior officials, including NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, and Health and Family Welfare Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, attended the session.

During the discussion, NTA officials informed committee members that the agency's immediate priority was conducting the June 21 NEET-UG retest.

They said the examination would continue in pen-and-paper format this year, while a shift to CBT is planned from 2027.

According to officials, the proposed transition is aimed at strengthening examination security and aligns with recommendations made by a high-level expert committee.

Members of the panel reportedly questioned NTA officials about safeguards being put in place to prevent a repeat of the paper leak allegations that led to the current controversy.

In response, officials assured the committee that necessary security arrangements had been made for the re-examination.

Addressing concerns about the cybersecurity risks associated with computer-based exams, NTA representatives said a dedicated committee had been formed to examine the issue and is expected to submit its findings within three months.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Digvijaya Singh linked responsibility for the conduct of the examination to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before the Supreme Court regarding the government's oversight of the exam process.

"It has come in the public domain that the PM is so miffed with the failures and incompetence of Dharmendra Pradhan that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself," Singh said. "Hence, he is accountable. We hope that it will be done properly. If a leak still happens, then we would have to ask for the PM’s resignation."

Singh further said, "Till now, we were asking for Pradhan’s resignation. But if the paper is leaked under the PM’s watch, then we would have to ask for the resignation of the PM."

The Congress leader also noted that he could not discuss the committee's internal proceedings in detail, citing parliamentary rules that restrict disclosure of deliberations before a report is tabled in Parliament.

Separately, representatives of the United Doctors Front (UDF), an organization that has approached the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination process, were not allowed to present their views before the committee.

According to sources, the group had been invited to depose before the panel, but objections raised by BJP members prevented the presentation from going ahead.

In its petition before the Supreme Court, the UDF has alleged serious flaws in the conduct of NEET-UG following the paper leak controversy.

The organization has also sought the dissolution of the NTA in its current form and called for the creation of a statutory body to oversee national-level examinations.