The government is bringing a new bill to stop paper leaks, but the big question is whether merely increasing punishments will end the problem. Radhakrishnan How will paper leaks stop ? – Radhakrishnan Committee gave 101 suggestions :: Will their impact be seen in the new bill ? 101 suggestions place more emphasis on strengthening the system. Let us understand the committee’s suggestions along with knowing the provisions of the government’s bill in detail.
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A major news related to the paper leak issue came out on July 25, 2026. Amidst the protests going on at Jantar Mantar for the last 35 days against irregularities in the NEET exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. He sent his resignation letter to PM Narendra Modi. Prior to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released a video message on Thursday night assuring the students that the government is going to take strict steps in this matter. In this matter, the government has so far approved amendments to the law made 2 years ago to prevent paper leaks and is going to table a new bill in Parliament on July 27 to prevent paper leaks, but amidst all this, an old question has come to the fore again. What actually happened to the 101 suggestions given by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan Committee formed after the 2024 NEET-UG and UGC-NET disputes? How much implementation was done on them by the government and in what manner and how much will they be included in the upcoming new rules ?
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Even before the Union Minister’s resignation, the government had approved changes to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Information about what the major changes in the draft will be has also come out. For example, the government is going to make the rules stricter from punishment to fine. So before knowing about the committee’s report and how much attention the government paid to it, let’s also know about the new draft.
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Punishment- Currently there is a provision of 3-5 years imprisonment. This can be increased to a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years.
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Fine- The minimum fine can be increased from Rs 10 lakh to up to Rs 10 crore.
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Fast-Track Court- Separate courts will be formed for hearing cases of paper leaks, which will be able to complete investigation and judgment within three months.
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What were the major suggestions of the Radhakrishnan Committee ?
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When the NEET-UG paper leaked in the year 2024, the central government formed a seven-member expert committee under the chairmanship of former ISRO chief Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. This committee submitted its report on October 21, 2024. A total of 101 suggestions were given in it. These suggestions were related to examination system, data security, improvement in NTA, fairness of examination, help to students and better use of technology. The purpose of these suggestions was not just to increase punishment, but to prevent the paper from leaking before it even happened. Key points in the suggestion ::
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Major improvement in NTA- The admin and tech system of the agency should be strengthened so that it can focus only on entrance exams.
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Secure Digital Paper Delivery- Question papers should reach the center in a completely secure digital way.
Computer Based Exam (CBT)- Large exams should be conducted gradually in CBT mode instead of offline paper, so that the possibility of leak is reduced.
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Control over private examination centers- Where monitoring is weak, the use of private centers should be reduced.
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Separate security wing and cyber security- A system should be created within NTA that can catch the apprehension of a leak at the very beginning.
Strong grievance system- Action should be taken quickly and clearly on students’ complaints.
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Many major suggestions incomplete even after two years
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This is where the story gets a bit interesting. The government told the Supreme Court that most of the suggestions have been implemented. But it was also clarified in the court that the examination has not yet been fully computer-based. Meaning the biggest system improvement is still incomplete. In March 2025, a parliamentary committee chaired by Digvijaya Singh had also advised the government and NTA to implement the suggestions of the Radhakrishnan Committee soon. But no major step was taken on this. The year 2025 NEET passed without any major controversy, so it was assumed that the system was fixed. But in 2026, paper leaks and complaints of irregularities in the examination started coming to the fore again, after which the government had to look towards the same report again. However, the government has said that from next time the NEET exam will be in CBT mode, but still many improvements remain.
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Exams leaking continuously
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Several exams have been leaked in the country in the last few years. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had recently stated in his press conference that more than 100 question papers have been leaked in the country in the last 10 years and none of the accused have been punished yet. Amidst this, the main accused regarding the NEET UG exam held in the year 2024 also got released. CBI gave him a clean chit due to lack of evidence. At such a time, discussion on the new bill and the committee’s suggestions becomes even more relevant.
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