NEW DELHI — Responding to Supreme Court observations that "no lessons seem to have been learnt" following the cancellation of the 2026 NEET-UG medical exam, officials from the national testing agency clarified Tuesday that the recent paper leak was a completely distinct administrative failure from the one in 2024.

"It is entirely unfair to compare the two incidents," a spokesperson said while reviewing files regarding the 22.7 lakh students whose futures are currently jeopardized. "In 2024, we handled the paper leak by simply declining a re-examination. This year, we have upgraded our response to a nationwide cancellation and a CBI probe. The system is clearly evolving."

The agency pushed back against petitions from medical associations calling for its restructuring, pointing instead to its heavy investment in high-tech security over the past two years. According to official testimony, the agency successfully deployed 5G jammers, GPS tracking, and AI-monitored cameras at testing facilities, right before handing the physically printed exam papers over to private couriers for distribution.

"We remain the only institution capable of conducting an examination of this scale," the spokesperson added, carefully sliding the agency's written defense into an unsealed manila envelope to be delivered to the Supreme Court by a temporary contractor.