NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and state governments on a PIL seeking directions to confiscate the movable and immovable properties of those accused in examination paper leak cases. The plea also sought confiscation of properties belonging to their family members.A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe issued notice to the Union of India and the states on a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.During the hearing, Upadhyay said he was not pressing his prayer seeking measures for time-bound investigations and trials in paper leak cases, citing the passage of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which tightens laws against examination-related malpractice.The court fixed September 25 for the next hearing.The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, also sought directions for a comprehensive assessment of the properties held by alleged perpetrators and their family members and for appropriate action under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Money Laundering Act, the Benami Property Act and the Black Money Act.The petitioner further sought a direction that sentences imposed in paper leak cases should run consecutively rather than concurrently.“Direct and declare that sentence in paper leak shall be consecutive, not concurrent, in order to prevent such incidents in future. Alternatively, direct the Law Commission to examine international practices and prepare a report on paper leak within three months,” the plea said.
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The petition argued that repeated failures by authorities to prevent, investigate and prosecute those responsible for question paper leaks had resulted in violations of students’ fundamental rights under Articles 14, 16, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.It also pointed to gaps in the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, despite its enactment in June last year, particularly the absence of provisions mandating time-bound investigations and trials.The plea highlighted the wider impact of examination leaks on students and their families, citing mental and physical trauma, loss of educational and employment opportunities, mounting financial liabilities from unpaid loans and an increase in student suicides.The Centre and the states will now be required to respond to the petition before the matter comes up for further hearing on September 25.
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