Parliamentary Committee Summons NTA Chief Over NEET-UG Paper Leak and Exam Reforms
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports summoned the Chairperson of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Secretary of the Department of Higher Education to appear before it on May 21 for deliberations on alleged examination irregularities.
The committee's agenda covers two areas: reviewing the implementation status of the K Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendations on NTA reforms, and receiving an update on the investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
The NTA cancelled the NEET-UG examination held on May 3, citing irregularities; nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, with a re-examination now scheduled for June 21.
Investigations have thus far led to the arrest of 10 accused persons across Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur, and Ahilyanagar; the source of leakage in Chemistry and Biology papers has been identified.
The Union Ministry of Education announced that NEET-UG will shift to a computer-based test (CBT) format from the following year as a structural reform measure.
Parliamentary Standing Committees
Parliamentary Standing Committees are permanent departmentally related committees that scrutinise the working of ministries, examine bills, review budgetary demands for grants, and oversee the implementation of policies. They are constituted under Rules 331B to 331L of the Lok Sabha Rules and the corresponding provisions of the Rajya Sabha Rules. Currently, there are 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs), each covering one or more ministries.
The committee exercised its oversight function by summoning the NTA chief to review both the leak investigation and the reform implementation status — a classic instance of parliamentary oversight of an autonomous body under the executive.
National Testing Agency (NTA): Legal Status and Accountability
The NTA was established in November 2017 as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It functions under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. Crucially, the NTA is not a statutory body — it was not created by an Act of Parliament, but by an administrative Cabinet decision. This makes it an executive agency accountable to the Ministry, not to Parliament directly.
The 2026 leak, coming after the 2024 reforms were underway, raises questions about the pace and fidelity of implementation — precisely what the Standing Committee has been asked to examine.
NEET Constitutional and Legislative Framework
NEET-UG was established as the single national entrance examination for admission to MBBS and BDS courses following a Supreme Court ruling in 2016 upholding the Medical Council of India's power to prescribe a uniform entrance test. The National Medical Commission Act, 2020 replaced the earlier Medical Council of India Act, 1956 and formally embedded NEET as the gateway to undergraduate medical education.
Key Details
- Education is on the Concurrent List (List III, Entry 25) of the Seventh Schedule, allowing both Parliament and state legislatures to legislate on it.
- Entry 66 (List I) gives Parliament exclusive power over coordination and determination of standards in higher education and scientific and technical institutions.
- NEET's administration was contested by several states, leading to constitutional amendments permitting state-specific exemptions in certain cases, which were later reviewed.
- The Supreme Court in Christian Medical College, Vellore v. Union of India (2020) upheld the constitutional validity of NEET.
The CBT reform and restructuring of the NTA falls squarely within Parliament's legislative competence under Entry 66 of List I; the Standing Committee's scrutiny is therefore constitutionally grounded.
- NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled after the examination held on May 3; re-examination scheduled for June 21.
- Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the examination.
- 10 accused have been arrested across 7 cities; Chemistry and Biology paper leaks confirmed.
- The K Radhakrishnan Committee recommended CBT mode, a two-stage NEET format, and a cap on the number of attempts.
- The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 prescribes imprisonment up to 10 years for organised paper leak offences.
- NEET-UG will shift to computer-based format from the next academic year.
- The Parliamentary Standing Committee hearing is scheduled for May 21, 2026.