Cabinet clears Bill proposing stricter punishment in paper leak crackdown

Pradhan's resignation non-negotiable, says CJP; NTA fires 47 officials as part of Neet protest outreach; SC to hear pleas on police excesses on July 27

In another outreach to protesters agitating against National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet) question paper leak, the Union Cabinet at its meeting on Friday afternoon approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The Bill, which top government sources said will be introduced in Parliament on Monday, will seek to strengthen the anti-cheating law with stricter punishments and higher fines.

 

By Friday evening, the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting Neet among other highly competitive national-level exams, terminated 47 of its officials, which the government termed as a “major effort to bring out serious examination reforms”. Government sources said “legal and criminal action will also be taken against some of these officials”, and “more reformative actions will follow”. The move is part of a “complete overhaul” of the NTA that has been in controversy over examination paper leaks.

 

The Cabinet’s approval of proposed amendments to the anti-paper leak law — passed by Parliament on February 9, 2024 — and the NTA's termination of nearly four dozen officials are part of a series of government announcements since Thursday morning. These announcements reflect a recalibrated approach towards the protests, which spread beyond the national capital after police baton-charged the protesters’ march to Parliament on Monday.

 

The recalibrated strategy has involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media posts, including a video on late Thursday evening, announcing setting up of fast-track courts to hear cases of exam paper leaks and a Bill to containing provisions for strong action against such leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week. The government also reshuffled top bureaucrats at the Union education ministry. Two Union Ministers, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Jitendra Singh, drove to Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital to help climate activist Sonam Wangchuk break his hunger strike late Thursday evening. Government sources were upbeat on Friday evening that a resolution to the impasse with the protesters could be in sight.

 

However, the government’s deadlock with protesters, led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and in Parliament with the Opposition, continued. Union ministers Nadda and Singh held a second round of consultations with two CJP representatives, Saurav Das and Abhishek Ranka, on Thursday afternoon at the national capital’s Constitution Club. The CJP representatives insisted that the government fix accountability and that their demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was non-negotiable. The first week of the Monsoon Session of Parliament was washed out with the Opposition continuing to demand on Friday that Pradhan must quit before the two Houses debate the paper leak issue.

 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on Monday two petitions alleging excessive use of police force against protesters on July 20. The Delhi High Court (HC) dealt with three separate petitions arising from the demonstrations. The matter in the apex court was mentioned before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant by Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who said police excesses against student protesters were continuing on a daily basis and sought urgent intervention. Accepting the request, the bench directed that the petitions be listed on July 27.

 

The meeting between Nadda and Singh with CJP’s Das and Ranka lasted a little over two hours. Singh is also the minister-in-charge of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which will pilot the proposed amendments to the anti-paper leak law, government sources said.

 

After their discussions with the CJP, the government sought time until Saturday to respond to the group’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation, with both sides agreeing to hold talks again. The CJP also asked for a public apology to the protesting students who were “brutally thrashed” on July 20. The CJP demanded ~1 crore in compensation for each of the families of those who committed suicide after the cancellation of Neet on May 3, Das said. “We will again meet on Saturday,” Nadda said. The CJP also asked that FIRs against protesters should be withdrawn.

 

In a letter, the CJP acknowledged the "government's eagerness to find a mutually beneficial solution". It said it has held extensive consultations with supporters and members across the country, and protesters at Jantar Mantar over the last few days. The CJP said it has arrived at a clear consensus that its demands that Pradhan resigns, ~1 crore compensation for Neet victims, and no legal action against protesters “are non-negotiable”. The CJP said the government, the head of the Rapid Action Force, and the Delhi Police Commissioner ought to publicly apologise to the students who were brutally thrashed by their forces. It also sought the government’s response to its five-point demand charter on examination reforms, which is aimed at bringing about the larger structural reforms needed in the education system. Friday's meeting took place hours after activist Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands.

 

The CJP on Friday also announced that it would launch a dedicated website to gather photographs and videos from protesters to identify police personnel allegedly involved in the July 20 crackdown during the “Sansad Chalo” march, saying it would seek FIRs against the officers and move court. The alleged use of pellet guns during the crackdown has since become a major political issue with Opposition leaders, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, flagging it. The Delhi Police, however, has denied using pellet guns and maintained that force was used only after protesters attempted to breach security arrangements.

 

After meeting Wangchuk, Nadda said the government was "positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and those who participated in the march to Parliament on July 20, 2026”. "Besides, the government is also positively considering suitable compensation for the suicide victims of recent Neet paper leaks," he added. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who played a key role in achieving the breakthrough with Wangchuk, described him as the face of the protests, and said the Opposition should heed the development and agree to discuss the issue of paper leaks on the floor of the House.

 

Asked about whether there were 400 social media accounts from Pakistan abetting the protests, and if the government was monitoring the help the protesters are getting from abroad, including the United Arab Emirates, Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing on Friday evening that he did not have any information to share on the matter.

 

The government’s recalibrated approach to the protests, including agreeing to the CJP's demand that talks be held at a neutral venue instead of a minister's residence, is in contrast to the initial response of some of the BJP leaders. Some of the leaders had earlier alleged that the CJP was designed by vested interests to destabilise India. In a television interview on June 23, Education Minister Pradhan described the CJP as the "B-team” of those trying to stir terror.

 

The proposed amendments to the anti-paper leak law are aimed at tightening the legal framework against paper leaks, organised cheating, and other unfair means in public examinations. The government decided to revisit the law after reviewing the examination system, including past shortcomings in the functioning of the NTA. After the review, it concluded that stricter punishments and higher fines were required for offences under the Act, officials said.

 

In a late-night bureaucratic reshuffle on Thursday approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi was appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He will be succeeded by Naresh Pal Gangwar, currently secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Separately, T K Anil Kumar, additional secretary in the Department of Rural Development, was appointed secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.

 

Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the Centre had shifted Vineet Joshi to "protect" him. In a post on X, Khera claimed that the wife, mother and son of Gangwar, who will succeed Joshi as higher education secretary, had collectively received more than ~1.16 crore in National Horticulture Board subsidies while Gangwar was secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The government has not responded to the allegations.