The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and National Testing Agency (NTA) to file a report before it on the NEET UG paper leak case.

The top court also directed the CBI to file a status report on its investigation into the case so far. The apex court has asked the NTA, Centre and the CBI to submit their reports before it by 5 PM on Wednesday.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra was hearing a batch of pleas related to the NEET-UG exam, including those alleging irregularities and malpractices in the medical test and seeking a direction to conduct it afresh.

The Chief Justice of India said the fact that the sanctity of the exam is compromised is beyond question. He said, however, before ordering a retest, the extent of the leak needs to be known.

The top court stated that cancellation of the exam is the extreme last resort. The matter is now listed for hearing on Thursday.

NTA conducts the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.