Parliament Passes Stricter Anti-Paper Leak Bill; Neeraj Chopra Enters CWG Finals
In a significant move to tackle the menace of question paper leaks, Parliament on Thursday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. The Bill, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha a day earlier, was discussed and passed by the Rajya Sabha. It proposes stringent punishment for those involved in leaking examination papers, a crime that has repeatedly jeopardised the careers of millions of young aspirants.
Soon after the passage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Instagram to assure the nation that any 'paper mafia' or gang attempting to play with the future of the country's youth would not be spared. The Bill, however, faced opposition from INDIA bloc MPs, who staged a walkout demanding that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement on the recent police action against protesting students.
In a related development, the Delhi government approved the withdrawal of 13 FIRs linked to the NEET-UG protests. The government said no action would be taken against participants, except those with criminal antecedents. Similar steps were earlier taken by the BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar. The organisers of the Jantar Mantar protest, who had threatened to restart their stir if cases were not withdrawn, have yet to respond to this move.
The Supreme Court also delivered a key ruling on the use of pellet guns. It held that pellet guns cannot be banned outright until the legal provisions governing their use for crowd control in exceptional circumstances are changed. However, the Court indicated its willingness to examine specific instances of misuse. The ruling came on a petition seeking a ban on their use for dispersing civilian assemblies, filed by former Intelligence Bureau special director Yashovardhan Azad and two individuals who allegedly sustained injuries from pellet guns. The Court also directed the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force personnel deployed at Jantar Mantar during the protests.
In another major revelation, an income tax probe found that about 1.54 lakh accounts were opened with J&K Bank between 2021 and 2024 without linking PAN details. Deposits in these accounts, with transactions of Rs 15 lakh or more in a financial year, totalled a staggering Rs 4.88 lakh crore. The Income Tax Department had earlier described this as a 'systemic failure' and a 'significant red flag', warning of a potential avenue for tax evasion. J&K Bank has since said it held a supervisory meeting with the Reserve Bank of India and submitted a compliance report.
On the sports front, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, along with two other Indians, battled strong winds to qualify for the finals of the Commonwealth Games. The trio's performance has raised hopes of a strong showing in the upcoming finals, bringing a moment of pride and anticipation for the nation.
