Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that “fast-track” courts would be set up to prosecute those behind exam paper leaks, his first public response after days of youth protests demanding the resignation of the education minister.

His comments came hours after protesters clashed briefly with police on the streets of New Delhi late on Wednesday, with officers firing tear gas and wielding canes to push them back.

The protests have grown into the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014, with opposition parties echoing the demands of the youth movement and disrupting the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.

It is also the biggest political crisis of his third term that began in 2024.

“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!”, Modi posted on X.

“We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks,” he said.

"This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”

Fast-track courts are special, dedicated courts designed to quickly hear and dispose of cases, created to get around India’s notoriously overburdened and slow justice system that can take years to conclude cases.

Such special courts have been set up to handle sex crimes against women and children, terrorism, money laundering, and crimes by lawmakers.

The self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched protests last month against the exam paper leaks that affected some two million students and have been linked to several suicides.

It responded on Thursday to Modi’s announcement by quoting his X post and saying: “Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign”, referring to the education minister.

The leader of the main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, also responded by quoting Modi’s post and saying that it was the prime minister who had harmed the future of our youth the most.

“You allowed and encouraged the total capture and destruction of our education system – and protected every person responsible for it,” Gandhi said and reiterated that Pradhan should be sacked, Modi should apologise to students, and those who assaulted them should be punished.

Late on Wednesday, more than 10,000 people were estimated to have gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site in central New Delhi, local media said, as CJP leaders vowed to continue their month-old protest until Pradhan resigned over exam paper leaks. (Reuters)





Edited by Tony Sabine