India parliament passes law doubling max penalty for exam fraud to 10 years

Published Jul 30, 06:16 PM UTC

The Indian parliament passed a law on July 30, 2026, doubling the maximum penalty for exam paper leaks to ten years in prison and imposing fines exceeding one million dollars. The legislation responds to massive fraud during a national medical school entrance exam in May, for which over 2 million candidates registered. The scandal, which may have contributed to about twenty student suicides, sparked an unprecedented student movement led by the 'Cockroach People's Party' (CJP), a social media-born protest group. The movement forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25. Protests culminated on July 20 when crowds attempted to march towards Parliament, leading to clashes with police who used tear gas and batons. India's federal investigation agency has charged 13 people with offenses related to the exam paper leak. The law requires presidential signature before enactment.

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