India lawmakers endorse stricter exam leak penalties after protests

India’s lower house of parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would toughen penalties for leaking exam papers, after youth-led protests calling for sweeping reforms forced the education minister to resign. The legislation would double the maximum jail term for those involved in leaking exam papers to 10 years and raise the maximum fine to more than $1 million. Lawmakers approved the bill by a voice vote after a raucous, hours-long debate, according to India’s public broadcaster.

The legislation will next be put to a vote in the upper house, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance holds a majority. The vote follows weeks of mass protests over leaked exam papers and other irregularities, which culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. The protests, spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party movement, drew massive support from students across the country and presented a major challenge to Modi’s government.

Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Congress party said he could relate to the frustration among India’s youth over the state of the education system. “This was not anger… this was not hatred, this was deep expression of the youth of this country, of the future generation of this country, and I feel that all political parties must respect this expression,” he said in a speech in the house. Senior minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday told parliament that the amendments, which the cabinet greenlighted last week, reflect a “deep commitment to safeguard the welfare of the students and the youth of this country”.

Following the vote, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed “a significant step forward towards further strengthening the integrity of India’s examination system”. “The Bill provides for stricter punishments, Special Fast Track Courts, time-bound investigations, Special Public Prosecutors and an expedited appellate mechanism to ensure that those involved in paper leaks and organised examination fraud are swiftly brought to justice,” Singh said on X. Despite rapid economic growth in the world’s most populous country, millions of young people face a shortage of well-paid jobs and fierce competition for careers.

The intense pressure to succeed has fuelled a vast network of coaching centres and created opportunities for criminal groups to profit by selling leaked exam questions.