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The government has initiated a major overhaul of the examination system following weeks of nationwide student protests over paper leaks.
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00:00Good evening, this is the News Track and I'm Maria Shaquille.
00:03After weeks of protests, student anger and questions over competitive examinations,
00:09the Centre is moving on a major overhaul of the examination system.
00:15Series of steps which have been taken over the last 48 hours.
00:18First, amendments to the Public Examinations Act with tougher provisions against examination fraud.
00:26That draft has been approved by the Cabinet.
00:30Second, fast-track quotes for paper leak cases, which has been promised by the Prime Minister.
00:36Third, 47 NTA officials terminated.
00:41An NTA reset with a new senior team to be hired.
00:45And the entire Education Ministry with the Higher Education Secretary, Vineet Joshi himself, replaced.
00:54This comes after Prime Minister Modi assured students that paper leak culprits will not be spared
01:00and students will not be allowed to lose another academic year.
01:06But even as the system faces a reset, the standoff from sunsets to the streets continues.
01:11Union Ministers J.P. Nada and Jitendra Singh today held nearly two-hour-long talk with the CJP delegation.
01:21There appears to be movement on compensation and cases against peaceful protesters with the government
01:27assuring that both these demands have been met.
01:31But no breakthrough on the biggest sticking point, which is Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
01:39First of the story and then I bring in the guests.
01:48Almost one month of protest, of anger on the streets, of students demanding answers.
01:59And today, government once again engaged with the CJP.
02:03This time for nearly two hours.
02:06The most contentious demand of Pradhan's resignation remains unresolved.
02:12Another meeting tomorrow.
02:19The most contentious demand of Pradhan's resignation remains unresolved.
02:49Government sources say Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will not resign.
02:55Arguing, resignation is the easy way out.
02:59But even as negotiations continued, the government moved on the paper leak crisis itself.
03:05The government is tightening the legal framework against exam fraud.
03:09The cabinet today approved the amendments to Public Examinations Act 2024.
03:16Sources say the amendments proposed to strengthen the law.
03:19Fast-track courts that could be designated specifically for paper leak cases.
03:25And given enhanced power.
03:27For speedy disposal.
03:29The amendments are also expected to provide for stricter punishment for those found guilty.
04:02Sources say at the cabinet meet.
04:04Prime Minister Modi urged ministers to step up their social media outreach.
04:09Asking them to engage directly with Young India.
04:12There has been change inside the system too.
04:17Higher Education Secretary Vinit Joshi is out.
04:20Naresh Pal Gangwar is in.
04:23Education Ministry has also sacked 47 NT officials and plans more reformative measures soon.
04:30But the CJP says changing the bureaucrat at the top does not settle the question of accountability.
04:40All this after the biggest breakthrough.
04:43After 26 days of hunger strike, Sonam Wangchuk finally broke his past in the presence of union ministers J.P.
04:51Nadda and Jaitendra Singh.
04:55Government is positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully at Jantra Mantra in Delhi.
05:04But the political battle is far from over.
05:07Deadlock in parliament continued with opposition demanding Pradhan's exit.
05:14Dharmendra Pradhan is a criminal education minister.
05:18He has to be removed.
05:19He is a symbol of the collapse of our education system.
05:23He has to go.
05:25The fast has ended.
05:27Talks have begun.
05:29And a tougher law is on the way.
05:31But 27 days into the agitation, the biggest political deadlock remains unresolved.
05:37With all eyes now on what tomorrow's talks can deliver.
05:43Bureau Report, India Today.
05:49Let me bring in my guests on the show tonight.
05:52Sanjay Hegre, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, joins me here.
05:55Dr. Shikha Darbari is former Joint Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs Committee on Education as well.
06:02Professor Chandra Bhushan is an educationist and vicee of Vinoba Bhave University.
06:08I'm going to begin with you, Mr. Hegre.
06:11The government is speaking of fast-track courts.
06:15There are also, there's a draft bill, draft for the amendment to the 2024 Act.
06:23The intent is to bring in stringent laws.
06:27But the larger question is that in the last 10 years, there hasn't been any conviction in cases of paper
06:35leak.
06:35What should be done, sir?
06:39Well, paper leaks and what happens after that, as far as the criminality part is concerned,
06:45is only one part of the problem.
06:47The first thing is, do you have a culture where you can ensure that your papers do not leak at
06:57all?
06:58That you do not.
07:00Because I have dealt with several of these cases.
07:04It's often that there are organized gangs.
07:08They know where the weak points are as far as the delivery is concerned.
07:13And once a paper leaks at any one center, then a telegram or any other source, it just takes over.
07:22The government thinks that just having computer-based marking will solve it.
07:27That does not seem to be the problem.
07:30That does not seem to be an entire solution.
07:35The reshuffling of bureaucrats, firing people without taking ministerial responsibility,
07:44still does not send the right message of earnestness.
07:50Unless there is ministerial responsibility, unless the minister knows his job is on the line,
07:56and therefore the bureaucrats and the people down the system know that their jobs are on the line,
08:01that they have to deliver for Young India a leak-free exam, things will not really improve.
08:09And these offers have been made.
08:13I do not think that those who have come to the protests asking for a resignation of the minister
08:25will be satisfied with what has happened.
08:28Okay.
08:29So, Dr. Shikha Darbari and Professor Bhushan, let me ask the same question.
08:33that in the last 24 hours, in particular, a series of measures which have been taken by the government,
08:39many are seeing this as too little, too late,
08:41and particularly the overhaul of the entire National Testing Agency,
08:47with 47 officials being terminated.
08:50So, Dr. Darbari, how are you looking at these measures?
08:54Yes, certainly these measures are certainly slightly late.
08:58If we see that in 2024, when the NEIC paper was leaked, at that time, a new act was passed,
09:06and that time also it was decided that we will punish the culprits in the right earnest.
09:13But what happened?
09:14Where are the culprits of 2024?
09:17So, in spite of the fact that we have made a new act at that point of time,
09:22that anybody who is found in this kind of cheating will be punished,
09:25but we know that Sanjeev Mukhiya, who was the culprit caught at the time of 2024,
09:31and the OSS school, and all those persons, where are they?
09:35We have failed to file a charge sheet.
09:39So, you know, when we are not able to take proper action,
09:42and in this case, what happens is that mostly these people, they are dealing in cash.
09:46So, if the cash is exchanging hands, it's very difficult to have the evidence.
09:51So, we have to, you know, believe in the circumstantial evidence.
09:55That if there is a circumstantial evidence that this person has committed this crime,
09:59he should be punished then and there.
10:01If it would have been done in 2024, I am sure that this would not have been repeated in 26.
10:07And actually, in 2024, Parliamentary Committee has said that NTA's working is not infusing confidence.
10:15And in spite of that, the weak links and the vulnerability of NTA is not plugged in.
10:20So, this is the reason that we have seen the same thing in 2026.
10:23So, if the Parliamentary Committee recommended certain changes in the National Testing Agency,
10:29those changes were not implemented.
10:32Yes, you know, the Radha Krishnan Committee.
10:34The Radha Krishnan Committee.
10:35Yes.
10:36And all the recommendations of that committee are not yet implemented.
10:40Yes.
10:41So, Dr. Darbari, then the question is that there is no deterrent per se.
10:46The sense is that there is quick money in this entire process.
10:50Yes, and that there is no deterrent in law to prevent what Sanjay Hegdi is rightly saying,
10:57that there is almost like a culture of paper leak in India.
11:00Yes.
11:01If you see that from last 20 years, every year we are listening, there is a paper leak.
11:07So, if every year there is a paper leak, there is something, you know, which is not right in the
11:13system.
11:13And actually, if you see in the, I have remained in the TPL, that we are making laws for the
11:19country,
11:20that whatever best laws you make, the Indian mind, they find a loophole in that.
11:25That how to, you know, twist the law and do whatever you want to do.
11:29And here in the NEET examination, what has happened?
11:32That NEET examination was a centralized examination from all the state medical examination.
11:38It was decided that states will not conduct their own medical examinations because a lot of complaints were coming.
11:44So, it was decided that NTA will be there and the NEET paper will be conducted.
11:48One exam, one nation, one exam kind of thing.
11:52But, you know, NEET, what is the problem?
11:55That NEET is basically a medical exam where the children are becoming doctors.
11:59And what happens that there are doctor parents, there are parents who are having big nursing homes.
12:07So, you know, this way or that way, they just want that their children should become doctors.
12:12Yes.
12:12And for that, they are ready to pay anymore.
12:13So, this entire culture, I agree with you, it's about that culture.
12:16Professor, you know, Sanjay Hegde has used the right word.
12:19This is about the larger mindset here, which has to be challenged.
12:24Let me bring in Professor Bhushan.
12:25Professor Bhushan, here is a generation which is saying enough is enough.
12:30They have seen, they have waited.
12:33Now they feel that the accountability has to be fixed right at the top.
12:39All these measures that are being taken is not good enough.
12:45Maria, I look at this whole issue and the present situation not only as a NEET issue,
12:53it's a larger Ministry of Education issue.
12:56Look, most of those who are sitting there are not NEET aspirant or relatives of NEET aspirant, right?
13:03But they are still there and they are agitating.
13:07Look at your higher education scenario.
13:10How many central universities do not have vice chancellor for more than three years?
13:15Three years.
13:17Gujarat Central University, from where our prime minister comes,
13:21does not have a permanent vice chancellor for more than three years.
13:24First, the vice chancellor was given extension, then he went and then in charge for more than 18 months,
13:31you have not appointed a vice chancellor.
13:33The university is suffering, the students are agitating and they are agitating on a local level.
13:38When they get an opportunity, and I'm only mentioning one university,
13:43there are n number of central universities which do not have a permanent vice chancellor.
13:48There are n number of agencies.
13:50Vinit Joshi Ji has been sacked today as higher education secretary.
13:55Do you understand the implication?
13:57He's also the chairman of the University Grants Commission.
14:00Yes.
14:00For the first time in the history of India, a bureaucrat is chairman UGC.
14:05And now he has been sacked.
14:07That means UGC chairman has been sacked as well.
14:10What do you do now?
14:11Who do you make the chairman UGC?
14:13I am referring to these, Maria, just to highlight that don't look at the Jantar Mantar issue as one neat
14:22issue.
14:22The complete education is in a mess.
14:25Yes.
14:25And we have no hesitation in saying that the weakest ministry in Prime Minister Modi's regime has been education.
14:34Okay.
14:35Sanjay Hegde wants to come in.
14:36Sanjay Hegde, quickly make your point and then I'll move on to the next part of this discussion,
14:40which is with regards to the advisory or should I say warning which has come in from two top universities.
14:48Go ahead, Sanjay Hegde.
14:49No, in addition to the weakening of the universities, what has happened is the over-strengthening of the coaching class
14:58and tuition industry.
15:00Now, each coaching class wants to have the maximum number of toppers and all that.
15:08There are rumors that certain places, whether it is seeker or whether it is quota, that there is a competition
15:16to see to it that they top somehow or the other.
15:19Yes, we see those advertisements in newspapers, Mr. Hegde, isn't it?
15:23All these toppers, multiple coaching institutes have the same topper as their student.
15:29That is a separate thing.
15:32That's an after-the-fact.
15:33Yes.
15:34But you get a lot of them in the top hundreds and all of them come from the same place.
15:41They have very close role numbers.
15:44That indicates that if the entire paper doesn't get leaked, even substantial portions get guessed at, there is an incentive
15:55to the leaking mafia to find out what the questions preset are.
16:03So, all that I'm saying is that the system is tilted towards failure.
16:10Okay, then how do you fix a failed system or do you build a new system?
16:15That's my next question.
16:16But what has also happened is that as students gather in the national capital and similar protests are seen in
16:25other parts of India,
16:26the political battle has now shifted to university campuses as well.
16:30The Jawaharlal Nehru University has advised students and faculty to prioritize a personal safety stay and has said stay away
16:40from gatherings at Jantar Mantar,
16:42refrain from participating in protests and exercise caution on social media.
16:48The advisory warns that violation could invite legal action.
16:53University of Delhi has issued a similar advisory asking students to avoid protest sites,
16:58saying participation in unlawful demonstrations could lead to legal consequences and even impact their academic progress and career prospects.
17:08It has also warned against fake and misleading content online.
17:14These advisories have drawn sharp criticism from Rahul Gandhi and many others,
17:21who have questioned how institutions could discourage students from exercising the democratic right of protest.
17:29The BJP hit back, calling Rahul Gandhi's remarks irresponsible.
17:34The party says universities are simply fulfilling their duty to protect students,
17:38arguing that protests have been politicized and infiltrated by anti-social elements.
17:45And the BJP has insisted that the advisories are about safety and legal compliance, not intimidation.
17:51Two ways of looking at it and very perhaps expected response from both the sides, predictable as well.
18:01Dr. Darbari, why should students be stopped from going to Jantar Mantar by the universities where they study?
18:13Can they legally stop?
18:15Perhaps that legal part will be answered by Sanjay Hegde.
18:19But why should universities and these VCs issue these advisories, which are almost like warnings?
18:26See, if you see that when this protest was started, they were peacefully sitting at Jantar Mantar.
18:33But what happened on 20th?
18:35That in spite of the restriction that without any permission, nobody can go to the parliament.
18:40Because it's a sensitive thing, the parliament session was beginning.
18:44And at that point of time, what happened that I think it is a politicization of education.
18:50That some, I would say, that anti-social elements, in the name of students,
18:55they started that we are going to go to the parliament without taking any permission from them.
19:00So this thing has to be stopped.
19:01And when the barricading was done, there were some, we cannot say they were really their students.
19:07Because just now, as Mr. Hegde said, that there are kind of people who are not the NEET students,
19:13who are not from the family of those students, who have nothing to do with NEET.
19:17But they are politicizing this issue.
19:20So, it's like, if you are doing a peaceful protest, it is the right of every Indian, every student.
19:26No, no, no.
19:26But then why should universities issue these?
19:28But if you can say, I will go to the parliament, then it is not allowed.
19:31Then it is not allowed.
19:31Then it is not allowed.
19:33Sanjay Hegde, Sanjay Hegde, Sanjay Hegde.
19:36Chan universities issue these warnings in which they are saying that…
19:41Ma'am, just hold on to your thoughts.
19:43Sanjay Hegde Ji, asking students to avoid protest sites.
19:47And here our university is saying, participation in what they have declared unlawful demonstrations
19:53could lead to legal consequences.
19:56I mean, why are you scaring students?
19:59The universities have gone beyond their bounds insofar as these advisories, stroke warnings,
20:06stroke menaces, menacing is concerned.
20:11You remember the Nirbaya protests?
20:13At that point of time, did any university issue a warning to the younger people saying,
20:19don't go and protest?
20:22Questioning is part of learning.
20:26Questioning authority is how society develops.
20:29I don't see why universities should prevent people from getting an education in entire political
20:38science where it actually happens.
20:44You may have as many classroom lectures as you want, but fighting for a cause, fighting for
20:53the cause of your fellow men, being part of constitutional fraternity, that is an education which comes
21:02about once every few years.
21:06We cannot raise a generation of scared cats.
21:13These university advisories are best left to the authorities.
21:19The young people have decided what they want.
21:23Professor Sharma, you know, is your university also issuing anything similar?
21:28Nothing like that.
21:29And I am a vice chancellor and I will not do it.
21:32Why?
21:32My take on it is...
21:33Why are you not discouraging students and saying that they should be protected?
21:37Yeah.
21:38No, no, no.
21:39There's a difference between an advisory and a diktat.
21:42In the name of an advisory, you are saying if you go there, you will be punished.
21:47You have no one to say you will be punished.
21:49I have been part of JNU.
21:50We have demonstrated.
21:52And the only time when the university was closed, I was part of it.
21:56And 384 of us quoted arrest and we were in Tihar.
21:59That is our right.
22:00And no good regime will do that.
22:03No good vice chancellor will do that.
22:05But then the then vice chancellor did it at the cost of a national, I mean, news.
22:11I think the vice chancellor doing this are trying to be too loyal to the king by showing
22:17that, look, we are supporting the government.
22:20They are not supporting the government.
22:21They are damaging the cause of the government.
22:24The government is doing a good job coming up with a statement, coming up with measures
22:30taken to rectify the situation.
22:33But these vice chancellors who are doing such orders, not advisory, they are calling it
22:39now advisory because it has boomerang.
22:41It has boomerang.
22:42So they are saying, no, no, no, we have only issued advisory.
22:45We have nothing to...
22:46No, no, the language is not really...
22:48Not advisory.
22:48He is giving any kind of advice.
22:50It's not advisory.
22:52You are saying that your academic year will be impacted.
22:55You are scaring students.
22:57Look at the minute.
22:58JNU has very clear norms.
22:59If you don't attend classes for 90 days, then you have a zero semester.
23:04The students are themselves concerned about it.
23:06They make it sure that they attend 90 days classes so that there is no zero semester.
23:11Why should the vice chancellor now come and say that you don't do this or don't do that?
23:15I think it is damaging the cause of the government at the moment.
23:20One.
23:20Two.
23:21Look, as I am on the same page with Justice Higre, that it's the right and students learn
23:28from these things.
23:30They learn from these things.
23:31They have...
23:32We must give them an opportunity to do it.
23:35Come forward and explain to them.
23:38Talk to them.
23:38There is no student group which will not hear us.
23:42Okay.
23:42Sanjay Higre, since you gave that smile, I will give you 30 seconds and I will give
23:46the last word to Dr. Darbari.
23:48No, no, no.
23:49No, the smile was just to say and to deny that I was Justice Higde.
23:52I am Sanjay Higde.
23:53Sanjay Higde.
23:55Okay.
23:56Dr. Darbari, you know, the concern is the response of these universities.
24:04The students here understand what is their safety.
24:08You know, we tend to underestimate, as has been multiple cases, the history of this country
24:16is about the famous JP movement, the farmers' movements.
24:21This is what we are seeing right now.
24:23If there are concerns, the students have decided to raise it.
24:27And just look at, look at the, you know, the sheer variety or should I say the fun that
24:34they are having in various places.
24:37They have made it like a carnival.
24:40No, this carnival is fine.
24:42But till it is peaceful, there is no problem.
24:45And this kind of precautionary advisory.
24:46They have kept it peaceful so far, ma'am.
24:47Yeah.
24:48No, but then now, see, this advisory has come just a day before because this peaceful
24:52protest has converted into some kind of violence also.
24:56And in this case, if there is any kind of video, because what happens in a mob mentality,
25:03a student, you know, he does all kinds of things.
25:06Sometimes just to have himself on Instagram, he'll make some kind of reels.
25:10And if any evidence is seen that he's doing some kind of violent protest, he can be, you
25:16know, he can be registered under NTA and FIR can be booked and then his career is gone.
25:21And that is the reason I think these universities have issued this advisory.
25:24But, you know, I want to understand, you know, since you've said that, I want to understand
25:27from Sanjay Hager.
25:28Sanjay Hager, have you had cases in which the students would themselves land in trouble?
25:34No.
25:35And students are much smarter.
25:37They will put only what they want on Instagram.
25:43Listen, I know of students and protesters who are there on the site, who are sitting peacefully
25:50on protest, who had been boxed in and who were then tear gassed and latte charged.
25:56They now carry it as badges of honor.
26:00And because of that latte charge, several of their friends have come out and said, now
26:06we want to get latte charge too.
26:09These small things that, okay, we will take away your attendance.
26:13We will not allow you to write the exams.
26:15These kinds of dictates by petty dictators at the university level will only add fuel to
26:22the fire.
26:24This is a time when people have to reach out to students, not to preach from high above.
26:32Okay.
26:33I think that's the right line to end it.
26:35Sanjay Hager, always a pleasure having you on my shows.
26:38Professor Bhushan, thank you for your time.
26:40Dr. Shikhar Darwadi, thank you for joining us on the show tonight.
26:44That's all from me on the show.
26:47I'll be seeing you on Monday.
26:49Thanks so much for watching.
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