Modi promises fast-track courts on exam leaks

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that 'fast-track' courts would be set up to prosecute those behind exam paper leaks, his first public response after days of youth protests demanding the resignation of the education minister. However, the protesters and opposition parties swiftly rejected Modi's proposal and insisted that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan quit first, with opposition groups disrupting parliament for the fourth day this week.
Protesters clashed briefly with police on the streets of New Delhi late on Wednesday, with officers firing tear gas and wielding canes to push them back. The protests have swelled ⁠into the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the demands of the youth movement and ⁠have disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week. It marks the biggest political crisis of Modi's third term, which began in 2024. 'Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!' Modi posted on X.
'We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks,' he said, adding that those who try to ‌harm the future of young people will not be spared. Fast-track courts are designed to quickly ​process cases, circumventing India’s notoriously overburdened and ⁠slow justice system that can take years to conclude cases.
Such special courts have been set up to handle crimes against women ​and children, terrorism, money laundering and crimes by lawmakers.
The self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched protests last month against the exam paper leaks that affected some 2 million students and have been linked to several suicides. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said what courts do after paper leaks is just ​one aspect. — AFP