India's Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill toughening penalties for exam paper leaks, proposing up to 10 years' jail and fines of up to ₹10 crore, with a five-year minimum for individuals. Amending the 2024 anti-cheating law, it will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The government also plans statutory fast-track courts to rule within three months.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Monday that no proposal to abolish long-term capital gains tax on equity transactions is currently under consideration. The question had pressed for a timeline, arguing a rollback would lift sentiment and level the field between domestic and foreign investors. The answer ends months of speculation.
The government will move a bill in the Rajya Sabha to make insulting Vande Mataram a criminal offence, amending legislation dating to 1971. In parallel, the Lok Sabha is due to take up a separate bill increasing the number of Supreme Court judges, as the Monsoon Session opens with a heavy legislative agenda.
An analysis by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative found that fewer than half of 483 Lok Sabha MPs attended 90 to 100 percent of sittings in the budget session that ended in April. Just 101 MPs signed the register for all 31 sittings. Smaller parties recorded the highest average attendance.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh urged the DMK and TDP to defend their record on delimitation and keep the 1971 Census as the basis for Lok Sabha seats, favouring a freeze until 2051. He dismissed talk of a uniform 50% seat rise as meaningless under Article 81(2)(a), noting the 131st Amendment Bill fell in April.