PM Modi on July 23 announced that the government will bring in tougher measures against examination paper leaks, even as an existing law on the subject has been in force since 2024. In a video message posted on X, PM Modi said the Union Cabinet would take up a draft bill on Friday providing for Fast-Track Courts and harsher punishment for offenders. The announcement comes amid sustained protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
Why is PM Modi announcing a new law when one already exists?
India already has a dedicated anti-paper leak law. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, came into effect on June 21, 2024, and was framed to protect the integrity of national-level examinations while holding organised groups accountable. The Act carries prison terms of three to five years for individual offenders, with harsher penalties for organised cheating rackets. Those convicted under organised sections of the law face up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
PM Modi, in his video message, said he had directed departments to set up Fast-Track Courts and that a draft prepared overnight would be discussed in Cabinet, with the bill to be introduced in Parliament during the second week of the Monsoon Session. This suggests the new legislation is intended to add fast-track adjudication and stronger enforcement machinery rather than replace the 2024 Act outright, though the government has not detailed how the two laws will interact.
What is the CJP protest about?
The Cockroach Janta Party is a satirical political movement founded on May 16, 2026, by political communications strategist Abhijeet Dipke, its name a parody of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The protest’s central demand has been the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy, with activist Sonam Wangchuk joining a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar before being removed by police.
CJP representative Ashutosh Ranka said on X that the strictest action the government could take was removing Pradhan, dismissing the Cabinet announcement as insufficient. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the government’s response on the same platform. A CJP delegation was set to meet Union ministers on Friday after the Centre agreed to hold talks at a neutral venue, the Constitution Club of India.
Was the alleged NEET paper leak 2024 kingpin really given a clean chit?
Yes, this has been officially confirmed. The CBI has given a clean chit to Sanjeev Kumar, alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case, stating its investigation found no proof of his role in the question paper theft. He had earlier been widely described as the alleged kingpin of the racket, and the CBI had filed charge sheets against 45 other individuals before a Patna court.
But this clean chit relates specifically to the 2024 case. Separately, the CBI arrested P.V. Kulkarni, a chemistry lecturer, as the identified source of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, along with co-accused Manisha Waghmare, according to a Press Information Bureau release dated May 15, 2026.
What’s next?
PM Modi’s announcement signals renewed political urgency around examination integrity, even as questions remain over the effectiveness of the existing 2024 law and the outcome of past investigations. With the CJP protest ongoing and Parliament debate stalled, the coming days will show whether the new bill addresses gaps in enforcement or largely duplicates existing provisions.