Supreme Court Shields Student Protesters as Parliament Debates Anti-Leak Bill

The Central government moved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to curb competitive exam fraud. The proposed law introduces a minimum five-year prison sentence and fines up to ₹50 lakh for individuals involved in paper leaks. Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated the legislation reaffirms the government’s commitment to student welfare and includes provisions for fast-track courts. Opposition leaders, including Gaurav Gogoi, criticized the bill as a mere admission of failure and questioned the government's inability to prevent recent leaks despite existing regulations.

A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued interim directions to protect students involved in nationwide NEET protests. The court prohibited authorities from taking coercive action against protesters without criminal records and ordered the immediate release of detained minors. It further directed the Centre and seven states to preserve all CCTV, drone, and body-camera footage from the July 20 crackdown. This legal scrutiny follows allegations of excessive force, including the use of pellet guns and electric batons against students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and other cities like Siwan.

The political landscape remains tense following the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who received a rousing welcome from BJP MPs upon his return to Parliament. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology summoned Meta executives after the platform briefly removed a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding exam integrity. These developments signal a multi-front crisis for the administration as it attempts to restore trust in the national examination system. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal has also announced a ₹1 crore legal defense fund to provide free representation for protesters facing police action.