New Delhi: A heated political confrontation erupted in the Rajya Sabha as the Centre and the Opposition exchanged accusations over the country’s examination paper leak crisis during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill. The debate also intensified after the BJP accused Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge of making objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The sharp exchange began when Union Minister Jitendra Singh introduced the amendment Bill in the Upper House. A day earlier, the proposed legislation had been approved in the Lok Sabha through a voice vote after a lengthy discussion.
While presenting the Bill, Singh held the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government responsible for failing to introduce structural reforms to safeguard public examinations. He argued that despite recommendations from expert committees, the Congress-led government did not establish a national examination authority capable of preventing large-scale question paper leaks.
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According to Singh, the present government has been forced to address reforms that should have been implemented years ago. He maintained that incidents of examination fraud were not new and had also occurred during the UPA era, accusing the Opposition of ignoring those failures while criticising the current administration.
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The Congress strongly rejected the allegations, asserting that the recent surge in examination controversies had occurred during the BJP government’s tenure. The party argued that the Centre could not shift responsibility for the current crisis onto previous governments after being in power for more than a decade.
During the debate, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge shifted focus to the police action against students protesting over examination irregularities at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah explain what he described as excessive police action against demonstrators.
Kharge questioned the Centre’s handling of the protests and said the government had ultimately accepted several demands only after widespread public pressure. He alleged that the administration’s primary objective was to contain growing public anger rather than genuinely resolve students’ concerns regarding examination integrity.
The BJP immediately objected to Kharge’s comments, describing his remarks against the Home Minister as inappropriate and alleging that they amounted to a “threat of violence.” The accusation further escalated the already tense proceedings in the House.
Kharge also claimed that the amendment Bill had been introduced largely to calm public outrage over repeated examination paper leak incidents. He argued that the legislation came only after sustained protests led by the student movement and mounting criticism over the government’s handling of the issue. The demonstrations eventually ended following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Key Changes Proposed in the Amendment Bill
The proposed amendments significantly strengthen the punishment for examination-related offences. Individuals found guilty of leaking question papers or engaging in organised examination fraud could face imprisonment of up to 10 years along with a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
The Bill also imposes tougher penalties on service providers found complicit in such offences. The maximum financial penalty has been increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore, while the period during which such entities can be barred from conducting public examinations has been extended from four years to eight years.