Former IB Director Tapan Deka joins PM Modi's expert panel to reform India's examination system

Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Deka has been appointed as a member of the high-powered task force constituted by the Centre to recommend comprehensive reforms to India's examination system. The multidisciplinary panel, headed by technology expert and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, has been tasked with enhancing transparency, security and reliability in national-level competitive examinations through structural and technology-driven reforms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of the task force on Sunday, a day after the Centre accepted key demands raised by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) during protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET UG 2026 question paper leak controversy.

In a video message shared on social media, the Prime Minister said the government has been taking sustained measures to safeguard students' interests and strengthen the integrity of the examination process. He said individuals responsible for compromising students' futures have been arrested and are facing legal action.

"The Government of India is continuously taking various measures for the future of students. Those who tampered with the students' future are languishing in jail. We have already established fast-track courts. We are also moving towards enacting new legislation in Parliament that incorporates stringent legal provisions. However, we must look to the future. Our examination system needs to be reliable and transparent, and it must make maximum use of technology," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the task force would recommend reforms aimed at improving examination management, enhancing digital security and ensuring greater transparency through the adoption of advanced technological solutions.

The committee will be chaired by Nandan Nilekani, who played a key role in developing India's Aadhaar ecosystem through his association with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The panel brings together experts from technology, intelligence, education, space research and public administration to develop a robust framework for examination reforms.

Among its members is Tapan Deka, a senior IPS officer from Assam who recently served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau. With extensive experience in intelligence operations, counter-terrorism and national security, Deka is expected to contribute to strengthening security protocols aimed at preventing examination fraud and question paper leaks.

Other members of the task force include former ISRO Chairman S Somanath, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

The committee has been entrusted with recommending reforms for the National Testing Agency (NTA) examination system, with a focus on digital security, examination management, monitoring mechanisms and administrative improvements to make competitive examinations more transparent, secure and tamper-proof.

The formation of the panel comes in the wake of widespread protests by students and youth organisations over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The Centre has already announced the establishment of fast-track courts for examination-related offences and proposed stricter legal provisions to deter malpractice.

The government expects the Nilekani-led task force to submit recommendations that will strengthen institutional safeguards, restore public confidence in the examination system and ensure a secure and credible process for millions of candidates appearing in national-level competitive examinations.