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India lawmakers endorse stricter exam leak penalties after protests
['Agence France Presse']
News stories, breaking news and comment | The Citizen
India's lower house approved bill Wednesday toughening penalties for leaking exam papers.
India’s lower house of parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would toughen penalties for leaking exam papers, after youth-led protests calling for sweeping reforms forced the education minister to resign.
The legislation would double the maximum jail term for those involved in leaking exam papers to 10 years and raise the maximum fine to more than $1 million.
The vote follows weeks of mass protests over leaked exam papers and other irregularities, which culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.
Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Congress party said he could relate to the frustration among India’s youth over the state of the education system.