Shashi Tharoor: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday took aim at the government’s newly introduced paper leak legislation, arguing that its promise of swift justice does not match ground realities. Participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Tharoor pointed to the bill’s proposal to complete investigations within two months and trials within three, and asked whether India’s judicial system had the infrastructure to meet such timelines.
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“Today, there was a fast-track case, and the CBI prosecutor did not even appear. Now, if this is the way you are going to proceed, you will not achieve the kind of results you are promising in this bill.”
“Punishment Is Not Enough,” Says Tharoor
Tharoor argued that harsher penalties, including a proposed 10-year jail term and a Rs 10 crore fine, address the problem only after the damage is done. He stressed that the real measure of success should not be convictions, but paper leaks that never occur in the first place.
Calls For Structural Overhaul Of Exam System
Shashi Tharoor: The Thiruvananthapuram MP called for India to move away from its single, high-stakes examination model and build a system where cheating becomes structurally difficult, not just legally risky. He referenced the emotional toll on students and families, noting that dozens of students have died by suicide linked to exam-related distress in recent years.
Tharoor said the bill would likely pass but urged the government to pair it with deeper institutional reform, including additional judges, courtrooms, and prosecutors to genuinely support the fast-track mechanism it promises.
