Parliament Passes Anti-Paper Leak Bill; Gulveer Singh Wins Historic CWG Silver
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, after a two-day debate marked by sharp exchanges between the government and the Opposition. The Bill, aimed at curbing exam paper leaks, was passed by a voice vote amid sloganeering.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh hailed the passage, stating that the government had incorporated constructive inputs and strengthened the law based on experience. The Bill introduces stringent penalties for organised cheating and paper leaks in public examinations.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, has uncovered two messaging app trails through which the question papers were circulated. The routes involved Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Kerala. Investigators described it as a “countrywide conspiracy” involving subject experts, coaching institute operators, and intermediaries. In a chargesheet filed on Tuesday in a Delhi court, the CBI named 13 accused, including biology, physics, and chemistry experts from the National Testing Agency. Among them, Shivraj Raghunath Motegoankar, owner of a coaching institute in Latur, remains a key figure.
Separately, the Supreme Court struck down the Centre’s 2021 office memorandum that allowed retrospective environmental clearance for projects that had started construction without prior approval. The bench ruled that such exceptions must be granted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not through administrative orders. The ruling will apply prospectively, sparing existing projects.
In sports, India’s Gulveer Singh made history at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Birmingham, winning a silver medal in the men’s 10,000 metres. The 28-year-old from Sirsa, Aligarh, clocked 27 minutes and 49.80 seconds, becoming the first Indian to win a CWG medal in this event. Despite cold and rainy conditions, he fought back after falling behind and surged past the leading pack to break decades of African dominance. “The silver means a lot because it is the result of a lot of hard work over the last few years,” Gulveer told The Indian Express.
