NEW DELHI — The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced legislation in parliament aimed at overhauling India’s public examination system, the latest move in an ongoing effort to restore trust after a major exam leak scandal earlier this year triggered weeks of protests by young people across the country.
The crisis began when question papers for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test — known as NEET — were leaked ahead of the undergraduate medical school entrance exam. The breach forced approximately 2 million students to sit the exam a second time. More than a dozen student suicides were connected to the fallout from the cancellation.
The scandal drove tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets in Delhi and other cities. In response, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down, and Modi announced that special courts would be established to prosecute those responsible for the leaks.
The bill introduced Monday proposes changes to the Public Examinations Act, a law that was itself created in 2024 following a previous round of NEET exam leaks. The goal of the amendments is to make the examination system more secure while also speeding up legal proceedings and investigations.
Under the existing 2024 law, penalties already applied to individuals who cheated, companies involved in administering exams, and officials at examination authorities. The new amendments would raise the minimum prison sentence for offenders from three years to five years. Maximum fines would increase fivefold — from 10 million rupees (approximately $104,000) to 50 million rupees (approximately $522,000). Companies found guilty of violations would face bans lasting eight years, double the current limit.
Beyond the legislative changes, Modi announced the creation of a “high-powered panel” led by technology expert Nandan Nilekani, tasked with recommending further examination reforms. Modi said the government intends to make the “greatest possible use of technology” to strengthen the system. Nilekani is an entrepreneur widely recognized for spearheading the development of India’s digital identity system, Aadhaar, and for co-founding the major software company Infosys.
Speaking on Sunday, Modi said that based on the panel’s recommendations, action would be taken “as quickly as possible” to ensure the “credibility and reliability” of future examinations.
This is not the first time reform efforts have been launched. Following the 2024 NEET leaks, the government assembled a panel of experts that submitted a report in October of that year containing 101 recommendations. However, many of those suggestions have yet to be carried out. Among the still-pending changes are a shift from traditional pen-and-paper testing to computer-based exams, and holding examinations across multiple sessions.
In May, the head of that earlier committee told the Supreme Court that most of the panel’s key recommendations had either already been put in place or were currently being implemented.
