India to increase penalties for exam leaks after Cockroach party protests

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|CorruptionIndia to increase penalties for exam leaks after Cockroach party protestsThe 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. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoCockroach 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 AFPPublished On 31 Jul 202631 Jul 2026India’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. It cleared the lower house a day earlier and was approved by voice vote in the upper chamber after hours of debate. “This is an issue in which every parent, every family, and indeed every citizen of this country has a stake, because these young children are our greatest investment,” Jitendra Singh, a junior minister who has negotiated with the protesters, told the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house. The bill must now be signed into law by President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet green-lighted the stricter punishments last week. The parliamentary approvals come after weeks of mass protests over leaked exam papers and other irregularities, which culminated in the resignation of Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. The protests, spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, drew massive support from students across the country and presented a major challenge to Modi’s government. Exam paper leaks have remained a recurring problem in both national and state-level examinations in India, despite repeated government crackdowns. Indian media reported on Tuesday that the country’s federal investigative agency charged 13 people with a range of crimes relating to the leak of a national medical college entrance test earlier this year. The controversy had helped fuel the youth protests. Demonstrations against the paper leaks in New Delhi turned violent on July 20 when huge crowds attempted to march towards parliament. Police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse the protest, triggering clashes and a wave of detentions. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: