Lok Sabha clears exam bill by voice vote amid row over Rahul Gandhi's shooting charge
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote, approving sweeping changes to the anti-paper
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote, approving sweeping changes to the anti-paper leak law that prescribe stricter punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a Rs 50 lakh fine for offenders. The legislation was passed amid sloganeering by Opposition parties following a stormy exchange over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the police action against student protesters last week. Read Full Story The Bill, introduced by Union Minister Jitendra Singh on July 27, days after large-scale student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as education minister, now awaits passage in the Rajya Sabha. It seeks to establish fast-track courts in every state to exclusively try paper leak cases and mandates that investigations be completed within two months.
Besides enhancing punishment for individuals found guilty of leaking examination papers, the Bill also targets organised paper leak syndicates with penalties of up to Rs 10 crore. After the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day following the passage of the Bill, Gandhi said he would hold a press conference to speak about the issues he was "not allowed" to raise in the House. "They can turn off the mic, but not the students' echo," the Leader of Opposition said. RAHUL GANDHI VS GOVERNMENT The Bill's passage came after a heated debate in which Gandhi alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had authorised the use of force against students during the CJP's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. "The Home Minister ordered the shooting of our students. He put pellets into the blood of our students.
He ordered the students of India to be shot," Gandhi said, adding that "the use of force can only be authorised by the Minister or the Prime Minister." The remarks sparked protests from the Treasury benches, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju demanding evidence and BJP-led NDA MPs accusing the Congress MP of making baseless allegations. Replying to the debate, Union Minister Jitendra Singh rejected Gandhi's allegations as "factually incorrect", saying no bullets were fired and no order to open fire had been issued during the protest. He said only tear gas had been used and clarified that an order to open fire can only be issued by a magistrate, not by the police. Singh also dismissed Gandhi's claim that Amit Shah travelled with a convoy of 30 vehicles. WHY THE BILL WAS BROUGHT The legislation comes in the wake of a 36-day nationwide agitation against the alleged NEET paper leak led by the CJP, which began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 20 and gathered momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite fast on June 28.
The BriefWire