'Punishment Alone Isn't Enough': Tharoor Calls For Prevention As Lok Sabha Debates Anti-Paper Leak Bill

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said the Centre's proposed anti-paper leak legislation was a step in the right direction but argued that harsher punishment alone would not solve the problem unless measures were introduced to prevent leaks before they occur.

Participating in the debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor said the legislation focused largely on penalties and fast-track courts instead of addressing systemic weaknesses in India's examination process.

"This bill only talks about punishment and fast-track courts. If someone has tried to sell the dreams of our children and students, then punishment must be given, but there should be some provision to prevent these paper leaks," he said.

Calling for broader reforms, Tharoor said the success of the law should be judged not by the number of convictions but by the number of paper leaks that never happen. He also questioned whether fast-track courts had the capacity to complete investigations and trials within the timelines proposed in the Bill and urged reforms to the National Testing Agency, stronger cyber security and a move away from high-stakes single examinations.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed concerns over the examination system and praised students who had protested against the NEET controversy. Addressing the Lok Sabha, he said he was "excited and reassured" by the demonstrations, describing them as a peaceful expression of the aspirations of India's youth.

"I am pretty certain that if my friends in BJP were to go and ask their own children what they felt about what their brothers and sisters were doing, they would find agreement among their own children," Gandhi said, adding that every Indian should respect the voice of students.

His speech, however, triggered disruptions after he used the word "idiot" while recounting an interaction with a student. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to the remark and urged Gandhi to focus on the anti-paper leak legislation.

Earlier in the day, Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the government in the Upper House, alleging that "democracy is not safe, people are not safe." BJP president and Leader of the House J.P. Nadda defended the police action against student protesters, saying authorities acted to maintain law and order.

The Trinamool Congress extended support to the Bill but criticised the government's handling of the NEET controversy. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said stronger laws were necessary but argued that the legislation could not erase the "humiliation" faced by lakhs of students or substitute accountability for administrative failures.

Independent MP Pappu Yadav alleged that several students had died by suicide and many others had suffered depression after the NEET controversy, while JD(U) MP Dileshwar Kamait welcomed the Bill, describing it as a "Sudarshan Chakra" against those responsible for paper leaks.

Defending the legislation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Opposition of politicising the debate instead of discussing the Bill's provisions. He said the proposed law responded to students' demands and would strengthen confidence in the examination system, while inviting the Opposition to offer constructive suggestions for reform.