The National Testing Agency (NTA) has shifted its confidential and sensitive operations to a new facility in central Delhi, where 39 personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been deployed to strengthen security and access controls following scrutiny over the NEET-UG paper leak and administrative lapses.
The agency has been allotted more than 55,000 square feet in the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road. The fifth floor and portions of the fourth and sixth floors have been assigned to the NTA, with its confidential operations moved there from its earlier Okhla office over the past month.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved CISF security for the premises. The force will regulate entry and exit to confidential areas and carry out access-control and screening measures, including frisking, X-ray baggage checks and Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs).
Security gaps exposed by NEET-UG investigation
The security overhaul follows the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG paper leak, which triggered nationwide student protests and contributed to the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The issue also prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend reforms aimed at making the examination system leakproof. The panel continues to work on its recommendations, while the Supreme Court has sought updates on the progress of the reform exercise.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's chargesheet into the NEET-UG case identified three subject experts as the primary sources of the leaked paper. According to the investigation, there was no checking or frisking of experts when they entered or left the confidential section of the NTA office.
The experts were allegedly able to take away briefs from designed question papers on small chits made from plain sheets provided to them for rough work and translation.
The CBI also noted that the activity went undetected because the NTA office in the national capital did not have a dedicated control room for live monitoring of CCTV feeds.
The new premises have therefore been divided into designated confidential areas, where movement and operations are to be closely monitored. The latest security arrangement is intended to address the access and surveillance gaps highlighted during the investigation.
The Supreme Court has separately stepped up its scrutiny of the agency's restructuring. A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe has decided to visit the NTA's new headquarters to assess its infrastructure and manpower, while seeking details of the implementation of reforms.
Wider overhaul of NTA's structure and examination systems
Established in 2017 under the Ministry of Education to conduct fair, transparent and standardised examinations, the NTA is now undertaking changes that extend beyond physical security.
Recent government submissions indicate that the agency is moving away from an examination-specific organisational structure towards functional verticals built around specialised areas of expertise. Its leadership is also being strengthened, with officers from services including the IAS, IPS and Indian Statistical Service being brought in, alongside domain specialists.
Two joint directors were posted to the NTA under the Central Staffing Scheme in May 2026. In August alone, 14 officers ranging from the rank of joint secretary to assistant section officer joined the agency, according to recent reporting.
A proposal to upgrade the Director General's post from joint secretary level to additional secretary level is also under consideration, along with the creation of five new joint secretary-level posts.
The overhaul follows an earlier paper leak in 2024, after which a high-level committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan was constituted.
The Radhakrishnan panel made detailed recommendations covering examination-critical systems, including question-paper management, candidate registration, fee payment, admit cards, computer-based testing platforms, OMR processing, normalisation engines and result systems.
The Supreme Court has subsequently criticised the NTA over its handling of examination security, observing that the agency had "not learnt its lessons".
New technology and cyber-security measures
The NTA is also working on technical safeguards covering the entire examination cycle. These include strict access controls, stronger encryption standards, immutable logging and tamper-evident storage for examination-critical workloads.
The agency is preparing security-readiness reviews of examination-supporting systems before every examination cycle in coordination with its technology function. It is also working with its test-security function on examination-day workflows involving biometric authentication, face matching, CCTV systems and live monitoring infrastructure.
An examination-specific cyber-incident response mechanism is being developed for examination days, with elevated Security Operations Centre monitoring and a rapid-response capability.
The agency has also designated a dedicated chief information security officer (CISO). The post of general manager and CISO has been advertised, with the selection process at an advanced stage.
Independent third-party cyber-security audits by agencies empanelled by CERT-In and C-DAC are continuing.
Other security measures being considered as part of the broader overhaul include stronger confidentiality protocols and technology-based safeguards. Recent reports have also highlighted the use of air-gapped systems and tighter controls over devices and sensitive examination information at the new facility.
The government has said the wider restructuring is aimed at strengthening the NTA's infrastructure, manpower, examination processes and security systems after the failures exposed by the NEET-UG controversy. The Supreme Court is continuing to monitor the implementation of these reforms, including the progress of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force.