PM Modi announced on Thursday, July 23, 2026 that the government will set up fast-track courts to punish those responsible for the NEET paper leak. The announcement came on X, three days after a student march to Parliament turned into a police crackdown.

For lakhs of NEET-UG and government-exam aspirants, the promise matters less than the fine print. Past paper-leak cases have dragged on for years without convictions. The real test of Modi's announcement is whether four new courts can move faster than that record, even as protesters keep demanding accountability rather than new institutions.

What PM Modi announced

"Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks," PM Modi said in his post on X, according to LiveLaw.

The government plans four fast-track courts on a priority basis, within the jurisdictions of the Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh High Courts, per NewKerala. Two of the four existing NEET paper-leak FIRs fall under the Bombay High Court's jurisdiction, the report said.

Cases will be prosecuted under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Conviction under the law carries a minimum five-year jail term and a Rs 10 lakh fine, according to India Legal. Organised syndicates behind leaks face five to ten years in prison and a minimum Rs 1 crore fine.

The protest that forced PM Modi's hand

The announcement did not arrive in a vacuum. It followed the July 20 Sansad March led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), backed by opposition groups including the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), as Outlook India reported. Police used lathi-charge and tear gas during the march, injuring scores of students and more than 100 policemen, per Deccan Chronicle.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, 2026, alongside six students from the All India Students Association. Police forcibly shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital before he was moved to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram following a Delhi High Court order, Deccan Chronicle reported. As TUI reported in its coverage of the CRPF deployment during the protests, the standoff had already escalated well before Modi's court announcement.

Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh met Wangchuk at the hospital. Nadda also visited injured protesters at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Deccan Chronicle said.

What Protesters Actually Want

The protesters’ central demand remains Pradhan’s resignation. Reuters reported that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the movement would continue until the education minister stepped down. Opposition parties have also disrupted Parliament over the issue.

Rahul Gandhi has accused the government of failing students and has demanded accountability over both the paper leaks and police action during the protests. Hindustan Times reported that Gandhi also demanded that Modi apologise to students who were allegedly assaulted by police.

That is the gap in this story. The government is offering faster trials. Protesters want resignations, compensation for affected families and reforms that prevent leaks before they happen.

Why Speed Is The Real Question

Fast-track courts can help only if investigation, evidence collection and prosecution move just as quickly. Paper-leak cases often involve organised networks, digital trails, middlemen, coaching links and multiple states. A special court cannot fix weak investigation on its own.

Reuters noted that fast-track courts are meant to bypass India’s slow justice system, where cases can take years. Similar courts have been used for crimes against women and children, terrorism, money laundering and cases involving lawmakers.

But students are likely to judge this move by outcomes, not announcements. If convictions follow quickly, the courts may rebuild some trust. If cases still drag, the promise will look like another institutional response that arrived only after public anger became too loud to ignore.

What Happens Next

The immediate question is whether the government gives more details on how many fast-track courts will be set up, where they will function, and which pending cases will be transferred first.

Parliament also remains under pressure. Reuters reported that both Houses were disrupted again as opposition lawmakers demanded Pradhan’s resignation and a debate on the paper-leak crisis.

For now, PM Modi has moved the government’s response from silence to punishment. But the movement on the street is still asking for something wider: accountability inside the ministry, protection for students, and a system where the next exam cycle does not begin under the shadow of another leak.