SC to hear after six weeks plea to confiscate property of offenders in paper leak cases

The Supreme Court in New Delhi has scheduled a hearing in six weeks for a plea requesting the seizure of assets belonging to individuals involved in exam question paper leaks. The matter was discussed before Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe. The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, was filed on August 18 and sought responses from the central and state governments.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, informed the court that all states have been made parties to the petition. The court directed respondents to file their counter affidavits and set the matter for resolution after six weeks. Advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, who submitted the petition, initially intended to press for measures to ensure timely investigation and trial in paper leak cases, as the Public Examinations Amendment Bill 2026 had recently been passed to strengthen anti-paper leak laws.

The petition also requested directions to assess the entire property of offenders and their families, invoking relevant laws such as the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. It proposed that any sentence for paper leak offenses must be served consecutively, not concurrently, to prevent future occurrences.

The petition highlighted the severe consequences faced by students and their families due to repeated failures in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting those responsible for paper leaks, including violations of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 16, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.