Centre promises fast-track courts after paper leaks. But have we heard that before?

The central government has announced fast-track courts for paper leak cases. But similar assurances have been made before. Here's a timeline of the Centre's promises since 2023, the new anti-paper leak law, how many leaks India has actually seen according to different estimates, and where the biggest cases stand today.

In Short

• PM Modi announces fast-track courts; Maheshwar Peri recalls earlier promises since 2023
• India has had multiple paper leaks in the last few years, rangong from 45 to 152 cases, depending on source
• Years after major leaks, several investigations continue as trials move slowly through courts

When the Centre announced on Thursday that fast-track courts would be set up to ensure "swift and stringent punishment" in paper leak cases, educationist Maheshwar Peri responded with a pointed reminder.

Peri posted that this was "just another promise with no commitments nor timelines" and listed several earlier statements made by the Centre over the past three years, each vowing tough action against the "paper leak mafia".

This post has struck a chord because it revives a question that has followed almost every major exam controversy in recent years: how many times has India been promised a crackdown on paper leaks, and what has happened since?

A FAMILIAR PROMISE

The government's latest announcement comes amid nationwide protests over alleged examination irregularities, led by CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar. PM Modi said nothing was more important than the welfare and future of the country's youth and promised dedicated fast-track courts so those responsible would not be spared.

Peri, however, pointed to earlier government statements.

On October 2, 2023, the government had said the "paper leak mafia will be held accountable and punished."

On November 9, 2023, he said issues such as paper leaks that had worried young people had been dealt with "very strictly".

Those remarks came against the backdrop of repeated recruitment exam leak controversies across states including Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Then came NEET UG 2024, arguably India's biggest examination controversy in recent years.

On April 21, 2024, PM Modi said the government had begun taking action against the paper leak mafia. Later, on July 2, 2024, during the Lok Sabha session, he said the government was acting on a "war footing" and that those endangering students' futures would not be spared.

Following the NEET controversy, Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, introducing jail terms of up to 10 years and fines that can go up to Rs 1 crore for organised paper leak rackets.

Now, two years later and after the NEET UG 2026 paper leak, fast-track courts have become the latest addition to that list of measures.

SO HOW MANY PAPER LEAKS HAS INDIA SEEN?

There are different records of the exact number of paper leaks India has seen in the last few years.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently claimed there have been 152 paper leaks in the last 10 years, affecting nearly 7.5 crore students.

An Indian Express investigation documented 45 major paper leak cases between 2002 and 2025, focusing only on large, well-documented examinations.

Meanwhile, NDTV, citing multiple investigations, reported that India had seen more than 70 major paper leak cases across 15 states in seven years. Separately, an analysis by Careers360 counted 89 authenticated paper leak incidents over the last decade.

The numbers differ because each study uses different criteria. Some count only national-level examinations, while others include state recruitment tests, board examinations and entrance exams.

What they all agree on is that paper leaks are no longer isolated incidents.

WHERE ARE THE PAPER LEAK 'MASTERMINDS' TODAY?

The legal journey of many high-profile cases remains far from over.

In the NEET UG 2024 case, Sanjeev Mukhiya, projected early in the investigation as a key figure, secured default bail after the CBI did not file a chargesheet against him within the statutory period. The agency later said it had found no evidence linking him to the theft or distribution of the NEET question paper, although investigations against several other accused continue.

The UP Police Constable Recruitment 2024 leak led to the cancellation of the examination for nearly 48 lakh candidates. Multiple arrests followed, and the Enforcement Directorate has since filed money laundering complaints against alleged kingpins. Court proceedings are still underway.

The Rajasthan REET paper leak investigation of 2021 resulted in hundreds of arrests and multiple charge sheets. Over the past three years, several high-profile accused, including former RPSC member Batti Lal Meena and alleged kingpin Suresh Dhaka, have secured bail, while the criminal trials continue.

The UKSSSC recruitment paper leak in Uttarakhand in 2025 resulted in dozens of arrests, attachment of assets and the state bringing in a stringent anti-copying law. Yet court proceedings remain ongoing.

And the Vyapam recruitment scam, which first came to light over a decade ago, still has several cases moving through the judicial system.

Fast-track courts are now the latest promise in India's fight against paper leaks. Before this came special investigation teams, central agencies, a new law and repeated assurances that the "paper leak mafia" would be eliminated.

Ironically, many of the names once described as "masterminds" in the country's biggest examination scandals are now out on bail, while the trials are still working their way through courts years later.

After hearing the same promise again and again, students may well ask: this time, will it be different?

- Ends