Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video late on Thursday night that a bill providing for fast-track courts and stricter penalties for exam paper leaks will be discussed in a Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Efforts will be made to make sure that the bill is passed in Parliament as soon as possible, Modi said. The prime minister said that several government departments “worked tirelessly late into the night” and submitted a draft proposal to him.

Modi made the statement even as young protesters continued their agitation against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

On Thursday, Modi had said that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for those involved in paper leaks.

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“Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” he had said in a social media post.

Here’s more on this and other updates:

Higher Education Secretary replaced amid protests

  • The Union government on Thursday shifted Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, The Indian Express reported. Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the new Higher Education Secretary while TK Anil Kumar will be the secretary of Department of School Education and Literacy.
  • Political campaign Cockroach Janta Party has said that the government has reached out to them to hold talks on Friday, ANI reported. The discussion will be held at the Constitution Club of India, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said. He said that CJP will put forward its demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike

  • Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday ended his hunger strike after 26 days at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital in the presence of Union ministers Jitendra Singh and JP Nadda. A video by PTI showed Singh helping Wangchuk sit up on his hospital bed, and Nadda helping him sip from a cup.
  • Wangchuk said that 65 members of Parliament from various parties had urged him to break his fast. “This was done after a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country,” he said in a social media post. “I will explain the conditions in detail in a separate video very soon.”

Opposition reacts to Modi’s statement

  • Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called Modi’s statement a “pathetic midnight video”. He asked Modi not to “insult the intelligence of the students and put forth three demands: “Sack Pradhan, punish those who beat students and apologise.”

Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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