The Rajya Sabha passed the Anti-Paper Leak Bill on July 30, 2026 [1], following a contentious debate in New Delhi.
The legislation aims to curb recurring examination irregularities and paper leaks that have disrupted the Indian education system. The debate highlighted a deep ideological divide between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition over the nature of national curricula.
The proceedings in the upper house began at 2 p.m. [2] and were expected to last nearly seven hours [3]. This followed a previous session in the Lok Sabha where the bill was passed after a nine-hour debate [4]. During the session, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi spoke on the bill as part of the government's effort to address systemic vulnerabilities in public examinations.
The debate shifted from legislative technicalities to cultural conflicts when Mallikarjun Kharge, a Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, raised concerns regarding the influence of ancient texts. "The BJP is trying to push the immoral teachings of Manusmriti into the syllabus," Kharge said [5].
Disagreements also emerged regarding the scale of the problem. Opposition members cited a figure of 152 paper leaks [6]. However, government minister Jitendra Singh disputed this number, and said there is no data on 152 paper leaks [7].
Despite these contradictions and the heated exchanges over the Manusmriti, the bill moved forward. The legislation is intended to provide a legal framework to penalize those involved in leaking exam papers, and to ensure the integrity of the competitive testing process across the country.
“"The BJP is trying to push the immoral teachings of Manusmriti into the syllabus."”
The passage of the Anti-Paper Leak Bill represents a legislative attempt to restore trust in India's high-stakes examination system. However, the diversion of the debate toward the Manusmriti indicates that educational policy remains a primary battleground for ideological conflicts regarding caste and social hierarchy in India.
