NEW DELHI: Representatives of a doctors' body that had approached the Supreme Court over the NEET paper leak were not allowed to present their views before a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Monday following objections from the ruling BJP members, sources said.
According to sources, representatives of the United Doctors Forum (UDF), which has filed a petition in the SC alleging systemic failures and a compromised examination process in the wake of the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, had been summoned to make a presentation before the committee.
However, they were prevented from doing so after strong protests from BJP MPs. The UDF had also demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA) be dissolved in its current form and replaced with a statutory body.
The meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports was convened to examine the pros and cons of the pen-and-paper testing system versus computer-based testing (CBT) in national examinations.
Senior NTA officials, including Director General Abhishek Singh, informed the panel that the agency plans to transition NEET to the CBT format from 2027. However, the immediate priority remains the successful conduct of the NEET-UG re-examination using the existing pen and paper mode.
Meanwhile, reacting to media reports that the panel chairman and Congress MP Digvijaya Singh had expressed confidence in PM Modi's handling of the NEET issue during the meeting, Singh clarified that since the PM has taken personal responsibility for ensuring the smooth conduct of the June 21 examination, there should be no further lapses.
"It has come in the public domain that the prime minister is so miffed with the failures and incompetence of Dharmendra Pradhan that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself. Hence, it is his responsibility now, and we have faith that all things will be held right. If now too, there is something wrong, then we would have to seek the resignation of the prime minister himself.
"We are hoping that there would be no paper leak under him, but if a paper leak happens now, then we would have to demand the resignation of the prime minister, instead of Pradhan," Singh said.
Sources said Digvijaya Singh and other members sought details from the NTA regarding safeguards put in place to prevent paper leaks during the upcoming examination. Officials assured the panel that adequate security measures had been implemented.
Members also raised concerns about the possibility of hacking and cybersecurity threats in computer-based examinations. In response, NTA officials said a special committee has been constituted to study the issue and is expected to submit its report within three months.
The committee also summoned Vineet Joshi, Secretary of Higher Education, and Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare to discuss the pros and cons of the pen-and-paper testing system versus CBT.
The committee will reconvene on Tuesday to review the use of the on-screen marking system (OSM) in CBSE exams and address the issues faced by students due to technical glitches.