India’s Narendra Modi Announces Examination Reforms After July 26 Paper-Leak Protests

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a task force on July 26, 2026, to overhaul the country’s examination system after sustained student protests over paper leaks. The government also said it would introduce new legislation in Parliament, making the announcement a significant political response to a crisis that has weakened confidence in India’s competitive-exam system.

The task force will be headed by technology executive Nandan Nilekani. Officials said the reform effort would aim to make examinations more transparent and increase the use of technology. The announcement concerns proposed changes, not a completed overhaul: the sources reviewed do not establish that new rules have been enacted or that the task force has begun implementing them.

The government’s response included commitments aimed at addressing both accountability and the treatment of protesters. Officials offered to drop police cases against protesters and to compensate families of students who died by suicide after the leaks.