After youth protests, Parliament must open its doors wider

The highest forum of democratic deliberation must not fail to seize it. 3 min readJul 30, 2026 06:01 AM IST First published on: Jul 30, 2026 at 06:00 AM IST The debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026 — passed by voice vote amid sloganeering in the Lok Sabha Wednesday — carried echoes of the street agitation that had raged outside the House. The over a month-long protests by students, led by the Cockroach Janta Party in the wake of the NEET examination paper leak, compelled Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. They also prodded the government to tighten the existing law, making it more stringent in terms of punishments and fines, and setting up fast-track courts that will work to defined timelines. The change of minister, and the