The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday informed the Supreme Court that its decision to cancel the NEET-UG 2026 examination and order a re-test was taken “in the interest of students” along with the aim of preserving public confidence in the national examination system.
There were batch of petitions lodged in the Supreme Court seeking reforms in the very conduct of NEET-UG. In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the NTA said the cancellation of the May 3 examination and handing over of the matter to the Central Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) showed the seriousness with which it viewed examination integrity.
“It is respectfully submitted that the cancellation of the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 03.05.2026, and the reference of the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 12.05.2026 for investigation, are themselves illustrative of the seriousness with which the Answering Respondent (NTA) and the Government of India view examination integrity,” the affidavit stated.
“The decision was taken in the interest of students and in recognition of the trust on which the national examination system rests,” it added.
The affidavit was submitted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s May 25 directive, which required the NTA to report on the implementation of recommendations made by a high-level committee headed by former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy.
As per the NTA the May 3 examination was conducted across 5,432 centres in 552 Indian cities and 14 international locations, with over 22 lakh candidates appearing under a reinforced security system that included biometric verification, AI-enabled CCTV monitoring, and mobile signal jammers.
