3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 24, 2026 11:51 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a new video message around 11 pm on Friday, thanking students for their response to his remarks on examination paper leaks a day earlier. “Last night, I got the chance to connect with you. Thank you for the way you responded to my earlier video, with constructive suggestions,” Modi said, addressing students directly. “This bond of affection will continue. Our connection will only grow stronger from here. Thank you, thank you, friends,” he added.
The video came a day after Modi announced fast-track courts and a tougher new law to punish those behind exam paper leaks. In a video message on Thursday night, he said the government had received a draft Bill that would be taken up by the Cabinet on Friday, with provisions for fast-track courts and stricter penalties. He said the government aimed to pass the Bill in Parliament as early as the second week of the ongoing session.
Modi’s Thursday remarks followed his first public comments on the row, made earlier in the day in a post on X, where he said “nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth” and pledged that “those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.” His comments came as the government sought to defuse tensions arising from the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests, which have drawn support from Opposition parties demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The CJP and Opposition leaders had criticised Thursday’s announcement, saying it did not address their core demands for accountability and Pradhan’s resignation. Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said fast-track courts were being set up at the Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Madhya Pradesh High Courts, where NEET-related cases are ongoing, and that these could be operational as early as this week. Senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin and Health Minister J P Nadda, welcomed the move, while Nabin accused the Opposition of “running away from discussion.” After a fresh round of talks with ministers on Friday, the CJP said it had given the government 24 hours to ensure Pradhan resigns.