India News | Opposition Targets Government over Police Action Against Protestors in LS Debate, BJP MPs Highlight Commitment to Curb Paper Leaks
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The ruling and the opposition camps locked horns in the Lok Sabha over the NEET-UG paper leak as the Centre moved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, to bring in stringent punishments and a swift probe into examination-related offences.
New Delhi [India], July 28 (ANI): The ruling and the opposition camps locked horns in the Lok Sabha over the NEET-UG paper leak as the Centre moved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, to bring in stringent punishments and a swift probe into examination-related offences.
Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, who tabled the Bill, affirmed the government's commitment to the welfare of students and described the Amendment Bill, 2026 as a "milestone legislation".
However, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and INDIA bloc MPs attacked the government in the backdrop of widespread protests across the nation.
The Minister of State for the PMO Jitendra Singh moved the Amendment Bill to the 2024 Act for discussion in the Lok Sabha, in the backdrop of the widespread protests over the NEET-UG paper leak.
The Union Minister said, "This bill, which was introduced yesterday, is, in fact, an amendment to the earlier Bill- Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act 2024, which was also brought by this government. And not only was it brought, but it was also perhaps the first of its kind in the history of independent India. The earlier Bill and the amendment today are, in a way, reaffirmation of this government's deep commitment to safeguard the welfare of the students and the youth of this country."
"At the same time, it is also a reiteration of Prime Minister Modi's resolve- not to allow anyone to compromise with the future of the children of Mother India. Therefore, this bill can be described, in a way, as a milestone legislation in the history of Indian Parliament," he added.
Describing the provisions of the Bill, he noted that the amendment aims to "make the law more stringent" and to ensure speedy justice so that the credibility of all these exams gets enhanced and gets reinstated.
The Bill, he said, proposes to enhance the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means by increasing the term of imprisonment to not less than five years, extendable up to ten years, as against the existing provision of imprisonment for a term of not less than three years, extendable up to five years.
The maximum fine is also proposed to be enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
For service providers found involved in offences, the Bill proposes to increase the maximum fine to Rs 5 crore and extend the period of debarment from conducting any public examination from four years to eight years.
For organised examination-related crimes, the Amendment Bill proposes to increase the minimum term of imprisonment from five years to seven years, extendable up to ten years, while enhancing the maximum fine from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore.
The Bill also empowers the Centre to constitute a Special Task Force for probing the paper leak and examination-related offences and also proposes a new Section 12A providing for completion of investigation within two months, designation of Courts of Session as Special Fast Track Courts for day-to-day trial of offences under the Act, completion of trial within three months from the date of filing of the charge sheet, and appointment of Special Public Prosecutors for every Special Fast Track Court.
"The most important thing which the Prime Minister also mentioned through the video is to ensure speedy justice. We will have special fast-track courts established only for the cases dealing with unfair means in examinations. We have set a time limit in that also. The investigation has to be completed within a span of two months regardless of whether it is a central agency or a special task force," he told the Lower House.
Further, Jitendra Singh also recalled the paper leaks under the Congress-led UPA governments. Amid an attack on the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the paper leaks, he said that the Congress government had recommended establishing a common national testing agency and the NTA was eventually formed in 2017.
Gen-Z slangs became a part of the Lok Sabha debate, as BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said, "Modi ji clocked it and provided a legislative solution."
While Shrikant Shinde took a swipe at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying that he held the protest at the Lok Kalyan Marg out of "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out).
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that "students want solutions" on the NEET-UG paper leak rather than political blame games.
"Students want solutions, not politics," Surya said, adding that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is focused on strengthening the examination system through structural reforms and preventing paper leaks in the future.
On reforms, the BJP MP said the government is moving towards Computer-Based Tests (CBT) and has constituted a high-powered committee for end-to-end examination reforms.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi over his protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, "Rahul Gandhi felt that neither the youth of the country asked him, nor Akhilesh, nor any political party, so what should he do? So he did what no leader of the opposition should do--he went and lay down outside the Prime Minister's residence."
"Look, Rahul ji, I can understand your agony and restlessness that you are not getting the chance to go inside the Prime Minister's residence, but you took the opportunity to fight outside itself," he added.
Taking aim at Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party over their past stand on anti-cheating measures, Thakur recalled the anti-copying law introduced during the Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh.
He further said, "I would only like to say: 'Khud miya fazihat, dusron ko nasihat' (making a fool of oneself while advising others)."
Hitting out at the government, Priyanka Gandhi said that thousands of young people had taken to the streets peacefully to raise their voices and demanded accountability from the government. She said students were losing faith in the system and beginning to feel that dishonesty mattered more than hard work.
"The Constitution of this country is above all for us, and democracy is supreme. To destroy it is a sin. The millions of people of this country ask only one thing from us: accountability. After giving us power and bringing us here, their only expectation is that whatever we do should be for their welfare. And if injustice is done to them, we must be answerable to them and ensure that they get justice. Thousands of young people took to the streets in recent days and expressed their pain," the Congress MP said.
She criticised the government over the felicitation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Parliament, saying it was ironic that he was being welcomed while a family in Maharashtra was mourning the death of their daughter, who died by suicide after the paper leak.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi's statement against the newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi sparked a sharp exchange in the Lok Sabha, with the treasury benches accusing her of spreading misinformation and making personal allegations.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also echoed a similar sentiment over Pradhan's welcome in Parliament, and said, "The minister under whose watch 21 children lost their lives, when he resigned from his post and returned to the House yesterday, you garlanded him as if he had returned from a war against Pakistan."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a swipe at the Centre, saying that by removing one "Pradhan", the government had effectively saved the "Pradhan Mantri", in an apparent reference to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Yadav said the resignation reflected the pressure created by students protesting against alleged irregularities in public examinations.
"When the Minister (Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) arrived (at the Parliament), he was welcomed outside the House. Imagine the immense relief the members must have felt and the major crisis from which they were saved. By removing one 'Pradhan', you effectively saved the 'Pradhan Mantri'," Yadav said.
Yadav also backed the student movement at Jantar Mantar and praised the "determination, grit and willpower" of the youngsters.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, who was also present during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar, demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally answer for what she described as a "barbaric" police crackdown on students.
The major criticism of the anti-paper leak Bill, as the Opposition alleged, was that the 2024 Act failed to attain major convictions in paper leak cases. The opposition questioned the probe in the past cases and the "integrity" of the Centre.
Pointing out discrepancies in the implementation of the 2024 Act, KC Venugopal alleged that the central agencies are used against political actors instead of probing paper leaks.
"22.8 lakh students were appearing in the NEET-UG paper, but it was leaked at the setting stage. CBI, ED and Income Tax agencies were powerful once upon a time; you completely misused all these agencies. The agencies only decide on searching political leaders and your political enemies," Venugopal said.
He also questioned the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during the debate.
NCP(SCP) leader Supriya Sule sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill and said an all-party meeting should also be held to get everyone's suggestions to improve the education sector.
She also called for a detailed enquiry into the police action on protesters.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran called for the abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions, reiterating his party's long-standing resolve against the examination. He argued against a uniform examination when education across states remains varied.
The discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha is still ongoing. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)