The Supreme Court on Friday called for accountability over the lapses that led to the NEET-UG paper leak, saying it was "actually very traumatic" not only for students but also for their families.
"We should not disappoint our youngsters," a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said while hearing pleas on the matter, including one seeking a direction to replace or restructure the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance examination.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the government was seriously concerned about the anxieties of young people and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally supervising the situation to ensure there were no lacunae.
"The real problem won't stop till actual accountability arises," the bench observed, adding, "It is actually very traumatic if something like this happens, not just for the students, but also their families and everybody... They invest so much emotion."
Mehta told the bench that some new mechanisms have been put in place for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.
The bench asked the Centre to file an affidavit in the matter and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July.
On May 12, the NTA cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak.
A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
The paper leak allegations are under investigation by the CBI.
To recall, after the questions of NEET-UG were allegedly leaked in 2024, SC had refused to cancel the test but passed various directions aimed at tackling paper leaks and also a criterion for cancelling public exams.
(With inputs from PTI)