LIVE: PM Modi announces fast-track courts for paper leaks amid students’ protests, vows ‘stringent punishment’ for those involved

On PM Modi’s tweet on settin up fast-track courts to ensure stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav says, “Was this the first leak that happened? There should be a white paper on how many leaks have occurred during his tenure. How many people were prosecuted, how many were punished, how many went to jail, how many sentences were awarded, nothing has been done so far…” On Union Minister JP Nadda’s PC, he says, “Suppose we committed murder somewhere, then they too became authorized to murder. If something happened 50 years ago, will it happen now too. This isn’t logic. You’re in power. The public demands answers from you. In a democracy, we’re accountable to the public and the public is demanding it…”

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “We will remain here until Dharmendra Pradhan is removed. A large number of people are here, full of passion and determination, and everyone wants his resignation. But as the days pass, the issue is no longer limited to Dharmendra Pradhan. The focus is now shifting towards the Prime Minister. If you listen to the slogans here, you will see that people’s anger is increasingly being directed at the Prime Minister as well, over why he is not ready to listen to them. I think the government should understand this because people have now started asking questions directly to the Prime Minister.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said nothing is more important than the welfare and future of India’s youth, announcing the establishment of fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks. He has directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps to expedite legal proceedings in such cases, calling the move a continuation of the government’s broader push to safeguard the interests of students.

Modi emphasised that anyone who tries to harm the future of the country’s youth will not be spared, warning that the government will leave no stone unturned in holding perpetrators accountable. The announcement comes amid heightened public and political pressure over repeated paper leak scandals, including the NEET-UG row, and signals a more aggressive approach to deter cheating syndicates and restore confidence in the examination system.

Floor leaders of opposition parties will meet at 10 am on Thursday in the office of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to chalk out their joint strategy.Deadlock continues in Parliament over the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and its insistence on a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak under a specific rule.The government said it was ready for a debate but urged the Opposition not to impose new conditions.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed several adjournments amid the standoff before being adjourned for the day.When the House assembled at 2 pm after its adjournment earlier, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said Pradhan should resign for a fair discussion to take place.”If there has to be a fair discussion, the Education Minister should resign first. Until he resigns, there won’t be a fair discussion here,” he said.

Founding President of Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke says, “People are being sent from outside to deliberately disrupt the protest. We have been sitting here for a month. No such incident has happened in a month. But now, as this protest has grown, goons are being sent from outside by the BJP to deliberately incite people. These are the people from the BJP who are pelting stones. The police bring trucks of stones here. BJP goons come, they pelt stones and then defame the people of CJP.”

AAP MP Sanjay Singh has given Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha with demand to discuss NEET-UG question paper leak, the failure of the public examination system, police action against protesters and health of Sonam Wangchuk.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva has given Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 and demand to discuss the ongoing student protests at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in NEET-UG examination, seeking transparency and accountability in the education system and Government’s response to the said issue.”

Check ABVP’s official press release on current CJP protests in Delhi.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said, “Today marks the 34th day of our protest and the 26th day of Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike. Our protest will continue as it has been. We will not withdraw it until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We also want Sonam sir to end his hunger strike because we do not want him to put his life at risk. His life is very important for this country.”

Delhi Metro has announced the temporary closure of 16 stations—including Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, ITO and Mandi House—from 7:30 am until further notice. Interchange facilities will remain operational at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.

On TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s and TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh’s suspension from the House, state minister Dilip Ghosh says, “Kunal Ghosh wants to be a revolutionary. He’s a first-time MLA, and the faction he leads has no one behind him; he’s the sole leader, fighting among themselves. The Speaker did the right thing. He was expelled because he was repeatedly causing disturbances. This illness of Kalyan Banerjee’s isn’t new. Repeated complaints have been received by the Speaker. These people have lost their temper. The party is collapsing. They’re doing all this out of desperation.”

Bollywood actor Salman Khan expressed support for students protesting against the alleged NEET paper leak, saying he was saddened that what began as a peaceful movement turned violent. Extending his sympathies to the injured students and their families, he called the paper leak a serious issue and praised young protesters for standing up for a better education system with the support of their parents.

In a post on X, Khan said the movement belonged to students and should not be politicised, stressing that the credit should remain with them. He voiced confidence that the government would support efforts to strengthen the education system and hoped for a positive resolution. Calling education the “next trend and fashion,” he said India should aspire to become a global education hub where students from around the world come to study.

Protesters gathered at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on July 22 in support of the CJP-led demonstration in Delhi against the alleged NEET paper leak, with Maharashtra political leaders Raj Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and Amit Thackeray joining the protest in solidarity.