India to increase penalties for exam leaks after Cockroach party protests
India's parliament has passed legislation to significantly increase prison sentences and fines for those involved in leaking examination papers. The move follows widespread youth-led protests and the resignation of the education minister over recurring exam irregularities.
Why it matters
The bill addresses a critical systemic issue in India's education system that affects millions of students and has become a major political liability for the government.
The new legislation, which doubles prison terms for exam leaks, comes after youth-led protests that called for sweeping reforms and forced a minister’s resignation.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters chant slogans, hold placards and wave national flag as they celebrate the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leaks, following a protest, in Mumbai, India, on July 26, 2026 [Indranil Aditya/Reuters] By AFP Published On 31 Jul 2026 31 Jul 2026 India’s upper house of parliament has passed a bill to increase penalties for leaking examination papers, after youth-led protests called for sweeping reforms and forced the country’s education minister to resign.
The legislation passed on Thursday would double the maximum prison sentence for those involved in paper leaks to 10 years and raise the maximum fine to more than $1m.
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