Supreme Court directs Govt response on plea for special, time-bound probe into paper leak cases

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) asked the Centre to respond to a plea for “standard questionnaire and special investigation procedure” to ensure time-bound investigation and speedy trial of paper leak cases.

A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha issued notice to the Union and State governments filed by petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who has also sought a direction for assessment of entire property of perpetrators and their family members.

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Mr. Upadhyay said investigation should be held for offences under laws, including the Prevention of Corruption Act, Prevention of Money Laundering Act, benami and black money laws.

The petition even suggested the confiscation of the assets of the perpetrators and their family members.

Mr. Upadhyay, a BJP leader, said his petition was triggered by the NEET-UG paper leak on May 3, affecting lakhs of students.

“The continued failure of the authorities to prevent, investigate, and effectively prosecute those responsible has resulted in an ongoing violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution,” the petition said.

Even though the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act has been in force since June 2024, the petitioner alleged leaks have continued to rise, while the actual masterminds have continued to evade the scrutiny of the investigating agencies.

The petitioner noted that the lack of Deception Detection Tests (DDT) to locate the actual masterminds behind the paper leaks has also been one of the reasons for the non-enforcement of the 2024 Act.

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