LIVE: LS discusses anti-paper leak Bill; CJP warns of fresh protest
The NEET paper leak controversy dominated Lok Sabha proceedings on Tuesday, with Opposition leaders targeting the government during the debate on the anti-paper leak Bill
Ending a week-long logjam, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 28) began a discussion on the anti-paper leak Bill, with Union minister Jitendra Singh describing it as a reaffirmation of the government's commitment to safeguard the welfare of students and the youth.
Speaking on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the minister of state in the PMO said the Modi government finished an unaccomplished task to bring a law to prevent examination malpractices in 2024.
Also read: How India's new anti-paper leak law can improve its exam structure
"Incidents of paper leaks have taken place in various states ruled by different parties... The anti-paper leak bill is a reaffirmation of the government's commitment to safeguard the welfare of students and youth. The amendment... (is being) brought to make the law more stringent," Singh said.
The Opposition has been raking up the NEET paper leak issue since the Monsoon session began on July 20. As a result, no legislative business could be taken up in Lok Sabha until Monday, except for the introduction of two bills.
Singh introduced the Bill on Monday, days after student protests over the NEET fiasco led to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as education minister. The legislation provides for stricter punishment of up to 10 years in jail and a heftier fine of Rs 50 lakh for paper leaks.
Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned of launching a fresh nationwide agitation if the government failed to honour its commitment to withdraw FIRs against protesters and prevent any punitive action, alleging that the Supreme Court's recent interim order could be used to target students.
Scroll below for Live updates.
Live Updates
- 28 July 2026 8:08 AM IST
'No protester will be left alone': CJP after late-night talks with govt
Hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) warned of launching fresh protests over what it described as a "breach of agreement" on protecting demonstrators from police action, the group's leadership on Tuesday said government representatives had reached out with renewed assurances and shared official notifications from Bihar and Assam offering relief to protesters.
In an update posted on X at 1 am, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the government had reaffirmed its commitment to withdrawing cases against protesters, releasing those detained, and extending similar protections through notifications from the Union government and other BJP/NDA-ruled states.
"Hours after our press conference, Government representatives met us. The meeting lasted for 2-3 hours. They shared copies of the Bihar and Assam notifications guaranteeing FIR withdrawals, no action in future, and release of all detainees and arrestees," Das said. He added that the government had also reiterated its assurance that similar guarantee notifications would be issued by the Union government and other BJP/NDA-ruled states.
"Hopefully, the agreed upon language shall be used. No protester will be left alone. We are all in this together," he said.
- 28 July 2026 7:04 AM IST
Police scrutiny finds murder, rape, dacoity accused at and around CJP protest site
Scrutiny of 2,873 people present at and around the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at the Jantar Mantar here has revealed that over 980 of them have previous criminal records, including cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, crimes against women, illegal firearms and narcotics, according to official sources.
Police analysis showed that at least 101 people have been previously involved in murder cases, 62 in attempt-to-murder cases, 284 in robbery and dacoity cases, 229 under the Arms Act, 135 in snatching cases, 19 in kidnapping cases, and 67 in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a senior police official privy to the probe told PTI.
They further said 61 of these individuals have been involved in rape cases, 25 in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation, while six have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The verification exercise comes in the backdrop of clashes that broke out during the CJP's "Chalo Sansad" protest on July 20. According to police, more than 65 protesters were injured, while over 200 police personnel sustained injuries. Protestors alleged that security forces used pellet guns against peaceful demonstrators.
According to the sources, the verification exercise was undertaken after large crowds gathered at and around the CJP protest venue and the subsequent violence during the July 20 agitation in New Delhi district. They said the exercise was aimed at identifying people with previous criminal involvement and assessing the nature of individuals participating in or moving around the protest site.
- 28 July 2026 7:01 AM IST
NSUI condemns use of force on student protesters, seeks scrapping of NTA
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) on Monday condemned the use of excessive force on students protesting against irregularities in competitive examinations and reiterated its demand for abolition of the National Testing Agency.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar said that young protesters had faced police action in several parts of the country. "When the NEET paper leak took place, NSUI was the first organisation to hit the streets. Our workers launched protests across the country on the very day of the paper leak. Our activists faced water cannons, lathi charges and detention, but we did not step back because we were fighting for the future of students," Jakhar said.
He claimed that only sustained public pressure had forced the government to acknowledge the seriousness of the NEET paper leak.
Referring to the protests, Jakhar said tear gas and lathis were used on young protesters conducting a peaceful march to Parliament in Delhi, while students protesting in Bihar were met with water cannons. He further alleged that visuals showing a police officer firing an AK-47 during a protest in Bihar had raised serious concerns over the government's handling of student demonstrations.
Jakhar also alleged that female protesters in Delhi were beaten with lathis from behind, describing such incidents as unacceptable in a democracy.
