India lower house passes bill raising penalties for exam leaks

India's lower house of parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that toughens penalties for leaking exam papers.

The move follows weeks of youth-led protests calling for sweeping reforms, which forced the country's education minister to resign.

What does India's new anti-paper leak bill do?

The legislation doubles the maximum jail term for those involved in leaking exam papers to 10 years and raises the maximum fine to more than $1 million.

Lawmakers approved the bill by voice vote after a raucous, hours-long debate, according to India's public broadcaster. It will next go to the upper house, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling alliance holds a majority.

Why did India tighten paper leak penalties now?

Modi's cabinet greenlighted the stricter punishments last week, following weeks of mass protests over leaked exam papers and other irregularities. The unrest culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. The protests were spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party movement, which drew massive support from students nationwide and presented a major challenge to Modi's government.

Rahul Gandhi of the main opposition Congress Party said he could relate to the frustration among India's youth over the education system. "This was not anger, this was not hatred, this was deep expression of the youth of this country, of the future generation of this country," he said in a speech in the house. He added that all political parties must respect that expression.

Why do exam paper leaks keep happening in India?

Despite rapid economic growth in the world's most populous country, millions of young people face a shortage of well-paid jobs and fierce competition for careers.

That pressure to succeed has fuelled a vast network of coaching centres and created opportunities for criminal groups to profit by selling leaked exam questions. Such leaks have remained a recurring problem in both national and state-level examinations despite repeated government crackdowns.

How did the protests over exam leaks turn violent?

Demonstrations against the paper leaks in New Delhi turned violent on July 20, when huge crowds attempted to march towards parliament from the Jantar Mantar protest site.

Police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse the protest. The clashes triggered a wave of detentions and intensified pressure on the government to act.