Story perspectives

Supreme Court orders NEET process overhaul by September

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 10:28 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Supreme Court Mandates NEET

Supreme Court directed the Centre to institutionalise the NEET examination process.
The Nilekani-led high-powered panel must submit its first interim report by the end of September.
The government announced a four-tier paper-checking system for the National Testing Agency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi created the Nilekani task force after the July NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned in July following the massive NEET paper-leak protest.

Summary

Tamil Nadu Secures Seats

Supreme Court ordered return of 40 vacant in-service super-speciality seats to Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association challenged diversion of 151 in-service seats to the All-India pool.
Tamil Nadu will hold a one-week stray vacancy round for the 40 returned seats.
Seats still empty after the state round will move to the Medical Council of India (MCC) national pool.

History

Historical Context

NEET-UG began in 2013 after the Supreme Court ordered a single nationwide medical entrance test, replacing state exams. The National Testing Agency has run the exam since 2019, but the 2024 contest saw 2.4 million takers, a paper-leak scandal and a Supreme Court finding that 155 students benefited. In 2026 the exam was cancelled after a suspected leak and reconducted in June, prompting calls for reform.

1 of 3

Supreme Court Mandates NEET

Supreme Court directed the Centre to institutionalise the NEET examination process.
The Nilekani-led high-powered panel must submit its first interim report by the end of September.
The government announced a four-tier paper-checking system for the National Testing Agency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi created the Nilekani task force after the July NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned in July following the massive NEET paper-leak protest.

1 / 3