The National Testing Agency’s (NTA) new office in Delhi will now have CISF security following the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG paper leak and concerns over security lapses at the agency.
The new NTA premises at the Government of India Press Building on Minto Road will have 39 CISF personnel deployed for access control, screening and security of confidential areas. The NTA has shifted its sensitive and confidential operations to the new facility over the past month.
According to officials, the agency has been allotted more than 55,000 square feet of office space, covering parts of the fourth and sixth floors and the entire fifth floor of the building. Confidential areas have been clearly demarcated, with restricted movement and tighter monitoring planned.
The decision follows allegations of serious security lapses during the NEET-UG paper leak. A CBI chargesheet reportedly found that three subject experts identified as primary sources of the leak were not subjected to proper checking or frisking while entering or leaving the confidential section of the NTA office.
Investigators also noted the absence of a dedicated CCTV live-monitoring control room at the NTA headquarters, which made it difficult to monitor the movement of people inside sensitive areas.
Under the new security arrangement, CISF personnel will be positioned at entry and exit points leading to confidential sections. Screening will include frisking, X-ray baggage scanners and Door Frame Metal Detectors.
The NEET-UG paper leak had triggered widespread protests and led to calls for major reforms in the country’s examination system. The government subsequently constituted a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend measures to prevent examination malpractice.
The NTA is also working on strengthening cybersecurity and access controls across its examination systems. Officials said measures are being prepared for encryption, tamper-evident storage, immutable logging and strict access controls for examination-critical systems.
Security reviews will also be conducted before examination cycles, covering systems related to candidate registration, admit cards, computer-based tests, OMR processing and results.
The agency is further strengthening security on examination days, including biometric authentication, face matching, CCTV surveillance and live monitoring.
To improve cybersecurity oversight, the NTA has designated a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The agency is also in the process of appointing a General Manager-cum-CISO, while independent cybersecurity audits by CERT-In and C-DAC empanelled agencies are continuing.
The new security measures are part of a wider effort to tighten physical and digital safeguards around the examination process.
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