India passes bill raising jail term for exam paper leaks to 10 years

India's lower house of parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to impose tougher penalties for leaking examination papers, following weeks of student-led protests that led to the resignation of the country's education minister.

The proposed law doubles the maximum prison sentence for those involved in exam paper leaks from five years to 10 years and raises the maximum fine to more than $1 million.

The bill was approved by a voice vote after hours of heated debate and will now be sent to the upper house of parliament, where Modi's ruling alliance holds a majority.

The legislation follows nationwide protests over repeated exam paper leaks and other alleged irregularities. The demonstrations culminated in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.

The protests, led by the online Cockroach Janta Party movement, drew widespread support from students and put increasing pressure on the government.

During the parliamentary debate, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said the protests reflected the concerns of India's younger generation and urged political parties to respect their demands.