India’s government proposes longer jail terms and heftier fines for exam paper leaks to restore confidence after protests.
NEW DELHI: India’s government proposed on Tuesday longer jail terms and heftier fines for examination paper leaks, seeking to restore confidence after youth-led protests focused on education reforms rocked the country.
Under the proposed legal change submitted to parliament, the maximum prison term for those involved in paper leaks would be doubled to 10 years, while fines could exceed $1 million and court proceedings would be fast-tracked.
The legislative push follows weeks of protests over exam paper leaks and other irregularities, which culminated in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week. The protests spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement drew massive support from young students and presented a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The proposed amendments reaffirm “this government’s deep commitment to safeguard the welfare of the students and the youth of this country”, senior minister Jitendra Singh told the lower house of parliament. The changes seek to make the legislation “more stringent and to ensure speedy justice”, Singh said, “so that the credibility of all these exams gets enhanced and gets reinstated”.
The parliament reconvened last week for its monsoon session, with opposition lawmakers repeatedly disrupting proceedings to seek accountability over a police crackdown on student-led protests. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the release of all detained protesters under 18 with no prior criminal record.
Examination paper leaks have long plagued India’s competitive education system, with the intense pressure to succeed fuelling a vast network of coaching centres and criminal groups profiting from selling leaked papers. Despite repeated crackdowns, leaks remain a recurring problem in national and state-level exams. Demonstrations in New Delhi turned violent on July 20 when crowds attempted to march on parliament from Jantar Mantar, prompting police to fire tear gas and use batons, leading to clashes and detentions.
