Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 23rd July,2026, announced that the government will set up fast-track courts to speed up trials in examination paper leak cases, saying those who "play with the future of India's youth will not be spared."

The Prime Minister stated that nothing was more important than the welfare and future of India’s youth. He said the proposed courts would provide quick justice and severe punishment to the individuals and organised groups involved in leaking examination papers.

The announcement follows widespread anger over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in competitive examinations. Student-led protests have grown in intensity in Jantar Mantar, Delhi, where the protesters are demanding accountability, better protection of examinations and action against those who have compromised the careers of lakhs of aspirants.

Earlier, Modi had called paper leaks a “grave sin” and stated that the government was trying to make the examination system foolproof. He also demanded the most stringent measures against the offenders and advised political parties to not make the future of students a party matter.

Also read: 'Preventing Paper Leaks Is a National Responsibility': PM Modi Calls for Strict Action Over NEET Leak 

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 already exists in India and makes it an offence to leak question papers and answer keys. The law prescribes imprisonment of three to five years for some offences, and five to ten years imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹1 crore for organised examination fraud.

However, concerns have continued over delays in investigation and prosecution. The government’s latest move is aimed at ensuring that accused individuals are tried quickly instead of cases remaining pending for years.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea for immediate listing of a petition against the alleged police action on students during the protest march led by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi. This was discussed in the presence of a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

The petitioner's lawyer told the court that the students had allegedly been beaten by the police during the protest and asked for an urgent hearing on Thursday. The lawyer stated that the petition had three prayers and cited video footage of the police action against students.

The Chief Justice of India, however, declined the request and made it clear that the bench was not inclined to examine video evidence at the mentioning stage. When the lawyer submitted, "I have the videos as well regarding police brutality... If it can be listed tomorrow... students are there," the CJI responded, "We are not interested in videos, we don't have time to watch... We don't want to watch videos."

The counsel again alleged that students had been beaten during the protest and once more referred to the video footage. Responding to the repeated request, the CJI said, "Don't waste our time. We don't want to watch any videos."

The petition is about the police action that occurred during the protest march of the Cockroach Janta Party on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session at Parliament. Thousands of students and young protesters had converged in central Delhi to demand the resignation of Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan for alleged irregularities in the exams.

Later, the march saw violent confrontation between the protesters and the security forces as they tried to march towards Parliament. In the clashes, police had resorted to lathis and tear gas to disperse the mob, hit students brutally, broken the spines of protestors, used dirty tricks like electric shocks in barricades. The matter has now reached the Supreme Court and debatable comments from the CJI have added fuel to the fire.

The Delhi police Tuesday filed several FIRs against unidentified persons after the violence broke out during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march, ‘Sansad Chalo', in protest against alleged NEET paper leak. The alleged clashes left more than 118 police personnel, including senior officers, injured, police vehicles and public property being damaged and a large-scale investigation of the clashes using CCTV footage and mobile phones.

Delhi Police File FIR Over CJP Protest Violence

The police sources said the FIRs have been lodged at the Connaught Place and Parliament Street police stations in various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The incidents involve alleged rioting and damage to public property, assault on government officials, and the alleged snatching of police safety gear such as jackets and helmets during the protest in central Delhi on Monday. Additional investigation is ongoing, police said.

What happened in the ‘Sansad Chalo’ March of CJP?

The violence erupted after the members of the Cockroach Janta Party staged a protest from Jantar Mantar towards the Parliament, protesting against the irregularities in competitive examinations such as paper leakage in NEET.

The Delhi Police claimed that the protest was not authorized to move towards Parliament Street. Police prevented the march when protesters were allegedly trying to cross police barricades.

The police then fired tear gas and beat some of the protesters with batons. Some protesters then threw rocks and broke windows of government property, sparking several hours of clashes, authorities said.

Delhi Police Say Police Vehicles Were Damaged

During the unrest, Delhi Police said that police vehicles at Regal Cinema in the Outer Circle of Connaught Place were vandalised. Officials said that stones were thrown on the security forces deployed at the protest site and that some government vehicles were damaged. Now, security has been beefed up in the entire New Delhi district.

More Than 118 Police Personnel Injured

More than 118 police officers, including officers in high-ranking positions have been injured in the clashes, police said. There were reports of injuries as well as some 70 protesters being detained. The injured police workers are undergoing medical checkups. The Delhi Police claimed that legal action has been started against the perpetrators of the violence.

Delhi Police Release Videos and Issue a warning

After the protest march incident, the Delhi Police shared videos of stone-throwing around the protest site. Police issued a statement on X asking citizens not to share rumours or unverified videos, and to “only rely on official information.’’

The police also appealed to the protesters to cooperate with the security forces and ensure public order. Video cameras are being used to identify masked suspects, such as with CCTV and in a mobile video.

CCTV footage and mobile phone recordings and other digital evidence are being examined to establish who is believed to have played a role in the violence.

Police have apparently taken some 40 video clips from the protest area. Officials say several people had masks on their faces and allegedly damaged barricades and attacked police. The video will play a pivotal role in identifying the names mentioned in FIRs.

Investigation Continues

The investigation is on-going and more legal proceedings will be undertaken based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, Delhi Police said.

The violence in the CJP NEET protest has raised the intensity of the focus on the protest, as investigators have started to consider digital evidence, eyewitness accounts and damage reports to determine who is responsible for individually this one of the biggest protest clashes in the capital this year.

Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute has launched a new five-year integrated academic programme, Bharat-Vidya, while unveiling its ambitious Vision 2047 roadmap to secure the coveted Institute of National Importance (INI) status. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to strengthen higher education through a blend of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and global academic traditions.

The announcement was made by Deccan College Chancellor Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan during a press conference at the institute's Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology (AIHC&A).

The Bharat-Vidya programme has been designed as a five-year integrated course with multiple exit options in line with NEP 2020. Students will receive an undergraduate degree after three years upon completing 120 credits, an honours degree after four years with 160 credits, and a postgraduate degree after five years after earning 200 credits.

The first two years of the programme will provide a common interdisciplinary foundation covering civilisational studies, Indian philosophy, classical languages, ecology, governance, ethics, science, and the arts. From the third year onwards, students will choose a specialisation, while the final two years will emphasise advanced research, internships, and dissertation work.

Initially, the programme will offer five specialised streams: Archaeology and Heritage Sciences, Ancient Indian History and Culture, Sanskrit, Linguistics and Temple Architecture, and Iconography and Heritage Management. Admissions for the inaugural batch are expected to begin next week, with scholarships planned for meritorious students.

As part of its broader academic expansion, Deccan College will serve as the anchor institution for ABHA Maharashtra (Alliance of Bharatiya Academia for Transdisciplinary Education), a higher education cluster proposed under Clause 10.12 of the NEP 2020. The alliance will initially include universities from Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, and SNDT Women's University, before expanding nationally through ABHA National.

Under the initiative, Deccan College will lead curriculum design and faculty development during the first phase. To support capacity building, the institute has proposed a ₹10 crore seed grant from the Maharashtra government to establish the proposed Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy (MSFDA) for faculty training.

Alongside the academic reforms, the institute unveiled its Vision 2047 development strategy, aimed at transforming Deccan College into an Institute of National Importance dedicated to humanities, civilisational studies, archaeology, linguistics, Sanskrit, anthropology, and heritage sciences.

A vision committee, consultative group, and an independent peer review committee chaired by Prof. Amba Kulkarni of IIT Hyderabad have been constituted to guide the transformation. The peer review committee is scheduled to visit the campus in August.

The proposal also seeks central government funding on the lines of premier research institutions such as IISc, TIFR, and JNCASR, while prioritising the conservation of Deccan College's historic Yerawada campus and strengthening its research ecosystem.

"Our vision is to build on Deccan College's established scholarship and transform it into an Institute of National Importance for humanities, civilisational and human studies, emerging as a global centre of excellence in research and education," Prof. Patwardhan said.

Indian space startup Skyroot Aerospace is set to create history as it targets July 18 for the maiden launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle. The mission, named Mission Aagaman, is expected to mark a major milestone for the country’s rapidly growing private space sector and strengthen India’s position in the global commercial launch market.

The launch is scheduled from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota. If successful, Vikram-1 will become the first privately built Indian rocket to attempt an orbital mission, showcasing the technological capabilities of India's emerging space-tech ecosystem.

Mission Aagaman is designed to validate the performance of the Vikram-1 rocket and several critical onboard technologies under real flight conditions. Ahead of the launch, authorities have issued the required airspace and maritime advisories, identifying restricted zones along the rocket’s flight path and impact corridor.

The orbital mission follows the success of Vikram-S, Skyroot’s suborbital rocket launched in November 2022, which made the company the first private Indian startup to send a rocket into space. According to Skyroot Aerospace, data collected during the Vikram-S mission helped validate nearly 80% of Vikram-1’s technology stack, significantly reducing developmental risks.

Skyroot Aerospace targets global satellite launch market

While Vikram-1 represents a breakthrough for India’s private space industry, Skyroot Aerospace is positioning itself as a global launch service provider. Speaking earlier this year, co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said the company expects 70–80% of future launch demand to come from international customers across the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, where dedicated launch opportunities for small satellites remain limited.

Instead of competing directly with heavy-lift launch providers like SpaceX, Skyroot is focusing on the expanding small satellite launch market. The company aims to offer dedicated launches into customer-specific orbits, a model Chandana described as providing “a cab or Uber to space,” allowing satellite operators to reach precise orbital destinations without sharing rides on larger rockets.

India’s private space sector gains momentum

The Vikram-1 launch comes at a time when India’s commercial space sector is witnessing rapid growth following policy reforms that opened the industry to private participation.

Skyroot Aerospace recently raised $60 million from global investors, including GIC, Temasek, Sherpalo Ventures, and funds managed by BlackRock, pushing its valuation beyond $1.1 billion. The achievement made Skyroot India’s first space technology unicorn, underlining growing investor confidence in the country's private aerospace ecosystem.

Although competitors such as Agnikul Cosmos are also developing orbital launch vehicles, Skyroot currently enjoys an early-mover advantage in India's private launch industry.

A successful Mission Aagaman would not only validate Vikram-1’s orbital launch capability but also establish India as a stronger player in the global commercial launch market, opening new opportunities for private space companies and satellite operators worldwide.