How will paper leak be stopped? Radhakrishnan Committee had given 101 suggestions, will their effect be seen in the new bill?

Big news came today on 25th July 2026 related to the paper leak issue. Amidst the protests against irregularities in the NEET examination that has been going on at Jantar Mantar for the last 35 days, the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Resigned. He has sent his resignation letter to PM Narendra Modi. Earlier, 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 the amendment in the law made two years ago to stop paper leaks and is going to present a new bill in the Parliament on July 27 to stop paper leaks, but amidst all this, an old question has come up again. Dr. K., formed in 2024 after the NEET-UG and UGC-NET controversy. What happened to the 101 suggestions given by the Radhakrishnan Committee? How much has been implemented by the government and how and to what extent will they be included in the upcoming new rules. Let us try to find answers to all these questions.

Union Minister Even before the resignation, the government had approved changes in the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Information about what will be the major changes in the draft has also come out. For example, the government is going to make the rules regarding punishment and fine strict. So, before knowing the report of the committee and how much attention the government paid to it, let us also know about the new draft.

1. Punishment- Currently there is a provision of 3-5 years of jail. This can be increased to a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years.
2. Fine- The minimum fine can be increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 10 crore.
3. Fast-track court- Separate courts will be formed to hear paper leak cases, which will be able to complete investigation and verdict within three months.

What were the major suggestions of Radhakrishnan Committee?

When the NEET-UG paper was leaked in the year 2024, it was only after that that the Central Government appointed former ISRO chief Dr. K. A seven-member expert committee was formed under the chairmanship of Radhakrishnan. This committee submitted its report on 21 October 2024. A total of 101 suggestions were given in this. 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 only to increase the punishment, but also to stop the paper from being leaked. Main points in suggestion-

1. Big improvement in NTA- The admin and tech systems of the agency should be strengthened, so that it can focus only on entrance examinations.
2. Secure Digital Paper Delivery- The question papers reach the center in a completely secure digital manner.
3. Computer Based Exam (CBT)- Big exams should gradually be conducted in CBT mode instead of offline papers, so that the possibility of leaks is reduced.
4. Control over private examination centres- Where monitoring is weak, use of private centers should be reduced.
5. Separate security wing and cyber security- A system should be created within NTA which can detect the possibility of any leak at the very beginning.
6. Strong complaint system- The complaints of students should be processed quickly and clearly.

Many big suggestions remain incomplete even after two years

This is where the story becomes a little interesting. The government told the Supreme Court that most of the suggestions have been implemented. But it also became clear in the court that the examination has not yet become completely computer based. That means the biggest system reform is still incomplete. In March 2025, the parliamentary committee headed by Digvijay Singh had also advised the government and NTA to immediately implement the suggestions of Radhakrishnan Committee. But no major step was taken on this. NEET 2025 was conducted without any major controversies, so it was believed that the system has been fixed. But in 2026, again complaints of paper leaks and irregularities in the examination started coming to light, after which the government had to look at the same report again. However, the government has said that from next time the NEET exam will be held on CBT mode, but many improvements are still left.

Exams are continuously leaking

Many exams have been leaked in the country in the last few years. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had recently told in his press conference that in the last 10 years, more than 150 pamphlets were leaked in the country and no one among their accused has been punished yet. Meanwhile, the main accused in organizing the NEET UG examination to be held in the year 2024 was also acquitted. CBI gave him clean chit due to lack of evidence. At such a time, discussion on new bills and committee suggestions becomes even more relevant.

Will punishment increase or will the system change?

The biggest difference between the bill to be presented on July 27 and the suggestions of the Radhakrishnan Committee is regarding increasing the punishment and changing the system. The focus of the bill is on taking strict action through strict punishment and heavy fines. Whereas the focus of the committee was on creating such a system in which there would be no chance of paper leakage. For this, suggestions like CBT, secure digital paper delivery and major reforms in NTA were given. The information revealed so far mentions fast-track courts, higher punishment and heavy fines. But the changes in the examination centres, the new system of paper delivery are not clearly visible. However, amid the paper leak and examination controversies, the Central Government has taken major action against NTA and dismissed 47 officials and is preparing to file criminal cases against some of them. Overall, the phase of actions has started, now it has to be seen how the government amends the rules and gets them implemented on the ground, so that incidents of nomination leaks do not happen in future.

Also read- From paper leak to resignation, how did the government bow before the protesters in 74 days?