The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine a permanent structure for NEET, including stable NTA staffing, as a reform panel prepares its first report.
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine how the entire National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) process can be run through a permanent institutional structure, with stable staffing and dedicated teams.
Hearing petitions seeking reforms to the National Testing Agency (NTA) on September 18, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said lasting arrangements were essential to the conduct of the examination. The judges emphasised permanent staff, dedicated divisions and less reliance on officers serving temporarily on deputation, The Times of India reported.
Court May Visit NTA Headquarters
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the NTA now has a permanent address on Minto Road in central Delhi. Justice Narasimha said the judges would like to visit the facility to see its infrastructure, staffing and systems in operation. Mehta welcomed the proposed visit.
The bench also stressed that a substantial share of the agency’s workforce should consist of permanent employees. The discussion came during hearings on petitions seeking changes to the NTA’s structure and the way it conducts NEET and other national entrance examinations, according to The Indian Express.
Nilekani Panel Report Expected This Month
The Centre informed the court that a panel led by Nandan Nilekani is expected to submit its first interim report on examination reforms by the end of September. The panel has consulted members of an earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
The court asked for an affidavit within two weeks describing the panel’s progress and the consultations held so far. Its recommendations have yet to be submitted or adopted.
The petitions before the court include proposals to strengthen question-paper security, consider computer-based testing and publish results by examination centre to help identify irregularities. These remain proposals under consideration; the court has not announced a new NEET examination format.
For students, the immediate development is a review of how the NTA is staffed and organised. Any change to the way NEET is conducted would require a further decision and an official announcement.
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