India has unveiled a sweeping package of reforms aimed at overhauling its public examination system after weeks of nationwide student protests over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG paper leak scandal forced education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.
On Monday, authorities introduced amendments to the law governing public examinations proposing tougher penalties, including longer prison sentences and higher fines for those involved in examination malpractice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a high-powered task force to recommend wider structural reforms aimed at improving the transparency, reliability and technological resilience of India’s examination system.
The measures represent the government’s clearest attempt yet to draw a line under a crisis that has become one of the biggest political challenges of Modi’s third term.
“Our examination system should be reliable, our examination system should be transparent, and our examination system should now have the maximum use of technology,” Modi said while announcing the reforms.
He added that fast-track courts had already been established to prosecute those responsible for examination fraud and said the task force’s recommendations would help ensure “the reliability of upcoming examinations”.
The panel includes former ISRO chairman S. Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena, and is chaired by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.
Our examination system should be reliable, our examination system should be transparent, and our examination system should now have the maximum use of technology
Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister
The reforms follow months of turmoil triggered by allegations that question papers had been leaked ahead of this year’s NEET-UG examination.
More than 2.2 million candidates sat the medical entrance test in May before authorities cancelled the examination following allegations of paper leaks, forcing students to sit an unprecedented nationwide re-examination weeks later.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since arrested multiple individuals and says it has uncovered what investigators describe as a multi-state network involving people linked to the examination process, coaching teachers and intermediaries.
The controversy was compounded by reports of dozens of NEET-linked student suicides, prompting protesters to argue that the crisis reflected deeper structural problems within India’s highly competitive admissions system.
Pressure on the government intensified throughout July as demonstrations spread across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and several other cities. Students interviewed by The PIE News during protests in Mumbai last week said the movement had grown beyond a single examination into broader demands for accountability and education reform.
Announcing his resignation, Pradhan said he had stepped down because of “the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country”, arguing the move would prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the unrest while allowing students to focus on their studies and careers. He also said he “deeply respect[ed] the aspirations, sentiments and legitimate expectations of the country’s youth”.
Pradhan’s departure marked a rare political concession for Modi’s government, making him only the second Union minister to resign under sustained public or political pressure during the Prime Minister’s 12 years in office, after former minister M.J. Akbar stepped down in 2018.
The resignation prompted celebrations among thousands gathered at Jantar Mantar, where Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke declared: “We have done it.”
However, Dipke stressed that the minister’s departure was “just the beginning” of the movement’s campaign for systemic education reform and democratic rights, while urging supporters not to turn him into a political hero.
Engineer and activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose 26-day hunger strike became one of the defining symbols of the movement, similarly described the outcome as a “victory of democracy, straight from the streets”.
The CJP subsequently called off its 36-day protest after negotiations with union ministers, saying the government had agreed to compensate the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and assured organisers that peaceful protesters would not face legal action.
Pralhad Joshi has since assumed additional charge of the education ministry and said he had begun reviewing the department’s work as the government begins implementing its reform agenda.
Fresh tensions have already emerged, however, with the CJP accusing authorities of breaching assurances that peaceful protesters would not face legal action. The organisation alleges students have been arrested in Bihar and West Bengal while others continue to face police action elsewhere.
The CJP has demanded the immediate withdrawal of all FIRs against peaceful protesters, the release of detained students and a written agreement outlining the implementation timeline, warning demonstrations could resume if those commitments are not fulfilled.
Separately, India’s Supreme Court reiterated on Monday that peaceful protest is constitutionally protected, saying police cannot resort to excesses merely because demonstrations are taking place.
Although the government has moved quickly to introduce legislative reforms and launch a broader review of the examination system, the CJP says its campaign is entering a new phase.
Dipke said the organisation would soon announce its future strategy and broaden its focus beyond NEET to other alleged examination irregularities.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
