New Delhi. The Centre has placed details of the NEET-UG examination system before the Supreme Court amid the ongoing debate over question-paper security and alleged irregularities in the examination process.
The government told the court that the existing system has been designed with multiple layers of security, making it extremely difficult for unauthorised persons to gain access to the question paper. At the same time, the Centre acknowledged that the examination process involves some degree of human intervention.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta explained the process to the court in detail, using a 100-question Physics paper as an example. He explained how questions are initially prepared, how different sets are created, how the final papers are selected and how they are subsequently printed and transported under security arrangements.
Question bank prepared first
According to the process explained by the Centre, the preparation of an examination paper begins with multiple groups of moderators.
These groups first prepare a large question bank consisting of around 500 questions. The questions are then subjected to another level of selection by different moderators.
According to the explanation given to the court, the second group of moderators selects 100 questions each from the larger question bank. This process results in four different question papers.
The multi-stage selection process is intended to ensure that the final question paper is not controlled by a single individual or group at an early stage.
Two papers selected from four
Once the four different question papers have been prepared, two papers are selected for further use. According to the Centre's explanation, the selection is made by the Director General of the examination authority.
The government argued that this process makes it difficult for anyone to know in advance which paper will eventually be used in the examination.
Printing under security arrangements
The selected question papers are then sent to two separate printing presses in sealed boxes, according to the details presented before the court.
The printing process is carried out under surveillance arrangements that include CCTV monitoring and security personnel. The government said that the sealed box containing the examination material is protected through a controlled access mechanism.
A digital key is reportedly associated with the box. According to the process explained by the Centre, the box cannot simply be opened by the printing press staff. The responsible person at the printing press must contact the Director General of the examination authority and obtain the required code before the box can be opened.
### External access restricted
The Centre also told the court that once the sealed box is opened, access to the printing facility is restricted. Unauthorised outsiders are not allowed to enter the relevant area during the process.
The entire printing process is also recorded on video, according to the government's submission. Such recording is intended to create a record of the process and enable verification if questions arise regarding the handling of examination material.
Printing staff do not know examination centres
Another important detail presented before the court was that the person at the printing press does not know which examination centre will ultimately receive a particular question paper.
The government said this separation of information is part of the security mechanism. By limiting access to information, the system is intended to reduce the possibility of unauthorised disclosure before the examination.
The question papers and OMR sheets are kept in sealed envelopes. According to the explanation given to the court, the seal must be broken before the envelope can be opened.
Centre acknowledges human involvement
While describing the system as secure, the Centre also acknowledged that human involvement cannot be completely eliminated.
The preparation and selection of questions, printing, packaging, transportation and examination-related operations involve authorised personnel at different stages.
The government's position, therefore, is that the existence of human involvement does not by itself mean that the system is insecure. Instead, the argument is that multiple layers of monitoring and controlled access are designed to minimise the possibility of unauthorised access.
Why the issue is significant
The security of the NEET-UG examination has become an important issue amid allegations and concerns surrounding question-paper leaks and irregularities.
The Centre's explanation before the Supreme Court focused on demonstrating that the examination system has several security checkpoints between the creation of questions and their delivery to examination centres.
However, the reliability of any examination system depends not only on its design but also on how effectively the prescribed procedures are implemented, monitored and audited.
The Supreme Court's consideration of the issue is therefore significant for students, parents and educational institutions, as the integrity of a national-level entrance examination directly affects the admission process and the future of millions of aspirants.
The detailed explanation provided by the Centre is intended to show the safeguards built into the examination process. The final assessment of the system and the issues raised before the court will depend on the proceedings and the material placed before the Supreme Court.
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
-1783504412913_v.webp)
.webp)
.jpeg)
