New Delhi [India], September 18 : The Central government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) new permanent office near Minto Road in New Delhi is secured by 38 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to maintain confidentiality and security of examination-related operations and prevent future leaks.
The Centre said the facility, spread over 55,000 square feet, has been secured as part of measures to strengthen the NTA’s infrastructure and ensure the secrecy of confidential examination material.
The submissions were made by Solicitor General of India (SGI) Tushar Mehta while the Supreme Court was hearing petitions concerning reforms in the NTA and implementation of the recommendations of the K Radhakrishnan Committee.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe sought details on the progress made by the Centre in implementing the recommendations and the measures being considered to strengthen the examination agency.
Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, in its affidavit told the Court that the NTA is undergoing a transition, with specific units being converted into functional structures.
The Centre said the NTA’s leadership structure has also been upgraded with new appointments including a Secretary General and domain-specialised personnel for areas including security, human resources and research and development.
It further informed the Court that senior officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Statistical Service (ISS) have been brought into the NTA to provide specialised expertise.
The affidavit also referred to the establishment of confidential offices at the new facility as part of the measures to ensure the security and secrecy of examination-related work.
The Court, however, questioned the Centre about the permanency of the NTA’s infrastructure and workforce.
Justice Narasimha said the Court wanted to ascertain whether the new system was actually in place and functioning. The bench said that it would personally want to visit the new facility soon. 
“We’ll come and see whether the system is actually in place. It is working or not working, manpower...,” Justice Narasimha said.
The Solicitor General responded that the Centre would be honoured to host the judges. The Court also stressed the need for permanent manpower within the NTA instead of relying entirely on deputationists.
“Each of these aspects: permanency of a place, permanency of at least half of the staff. Not everybody should be a deputationist. There should be permanent staff,” Justice Narasimha said.
The Solicitor General submitted that human resources had been substantially strengthened, although completing the process would take more time.
The bench also asked the Centre about the NTA’s relationship with other institutions, its data-sharing arrangements and whether the agency required statutory backing.
The Court then sought an update on the Nandan Nilekani Committee, which has been examining further reforms in the examination system.
Solicitor General of India (SGI) Tushar Mehta said the committee had conducted exhaustive consultations and was expected to submit its report by the end of September.
Justice Narasimha said the Court was concerned that committee reports should not remain merely recommendations and stressed the need for institutionalisation and implementation.
“Most important is institutionalisation of it. See, you know what we are a little concerned about. We had the Radhakrishnan Committee. So what we have today is only a committee report. Correct? Full stop.”
The judge said implementation of the recommendations was the most important part and that the Nilekani Committee should provide a roadmap for further reforms.
“Consideration of the recommendations and their implementation is the most important part. Even this Nilekani Committee should be a starting point. I believe they would also give a roadmap as to what is to be done, at what time and at what scale”, the court said. 
The Solicitor General assured the Court that the government was committed to implementing the recommendations.
“The government is committed. Whatever the recommendations are, we will implement them”, the SGI said. 
The Court also inquired who was assisting the Nilekani Committee and sought details of the officer who could apprise the Court directly about its work. A Joint Secretary was assisting the committee, the SG informed. 
The Court directed the Centre to file a detailed affidavit setting out the progress already made on the NTA reforms.
The court said the matter would be listed after two to three weeks and asked the Centre to file the affidavit at the earliest.
The Solicitor General of India also informed the Court that suggestions made by all the petitioners had been placed before the Nilekani Committee.