New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday strongly criticised irregularities in the NEET examination process and advised the National Testing Agency (NTA) to "learn a lesson from the UPSC", observing that large-scale examinations can be conducted without complaints if institutions function robustly.

Hearing a batch of pleas related to alleged irregularities and question paper leak in the NEET-UG examination, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said a strong institutional framework was more important than dependence on individuals.

"The UPSC conducts massive examinations without giving room for complaints. The NTA ought to learn a lesson from this example," the bench observed.

The court said repeated lapses in examinations caused severe mental distress to students and raised concerns over the functioning of the testing agency despite multiple layers of security protocols.

The NEET-UG examination conducted earlier this month was cancelled following allegations of question paper leak. A re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21.

According to submissions made before the court, the CBI has so far arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged leak and is continuing its probe.

During the hearing, the NTA informed the court through an affidavit that 99.5 per cent of the centres selected for the upcoming re-examination are government-run institutions.

The agency said security arrangements had been significantly strengthened and loopholes in the transportation protocol for question papers had been addressed.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was directly monitoring the issue.

The court directed the Centre to submit a detailed action plan by July 2 on measures proposed to prevent recurrence of such irregularities in future NEET examinations.