The new anti-paper leak law rightly raises the cost of organised examination fraud, but protecting merit will need stronger institutions and better governance. Nearly two million students were forced to retake the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) in 2026 after the examination was cancelled over an alleged paper leak. The disruption extended well beyond delayed admissions. Weeks of nationwide protests, the resignation of the Union Education Minister, the consti