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Supreme Court judges plan NTA reality check
In Short
Justices Narasimha and Aradhe may personally inspect NTA’s upgraded headquarters
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New Delhi: In an unusual move aimed at ensuring reforms in the examination system work on the ground, the Supreme Court on Friday indicated that judges of the bench may personally visit the National Testing Agency (NTA) headquarters to inspect its upgraded infrastructure, manpower and security mechanisms.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe stressed that institutional strengthening of the NTA was crucial to prevent recurring NEET paper leaks, saying temporary measures would not be sufficient. The court underlined the need for a permanent organisational structure, permanent staff and dedicated verticals, with dependence on deputation kept to a minimum.
Justice Narasimha said the judges would like to visit the NTA’s upgraded office on Minto Road in Delhi and examine whether the new system was actually functional and whether adequate manpower and infrastructure were in place. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, welcomed the proposed visit.
The Centre told the court that the NTA had overhauled its administrative hierarchy and infrastructure to strengthen the examination system. It said permanency of the structure had been ensured, though human resources were only partially in place.
The court was also informed that the high-powered panel headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani had held extensive consultations and was likely to submit its first interim report by the end of September. The panel has also consulted members of the earlier committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
The bench directed the DoPT joint secretary assisting the Nilekani panel to file an affidavit detailing steps taken so far. It also ordered that the NTA’s affidavit be uploaded on its website to invite public suggestions and asked the Centre to appoint a nodal counsel to receive them.
