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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Trust Reset

As the recent protests over the NEET paper leak showed, India’s examination system has reached a point where incremental repairs are no longer enough. The appointment of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, headed by technology pioneer Nandan Nilekani, is therefore not merely an administrative response to the NEET-UG paper leak crisis but a concrete attempt to rebuild confidence in one of the country’s most important public institutions. Examinations are gateways to opportunity,...

Trust Reset

As the recent protests over the NEET paper leak showed, India’s examination system has reached a point where incremental repairs are no longer enough. The appointment of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, headed by technology pioneer Nandan Nilekani, is therefore not merely an administrative response to the NEET-UG paper leak crisis but a concrete attempt to rebuild confidence in one of the country’s most important public institutions. Examinations are gateways to opportunity, social mobility and professional ambition. For millions of students across the country, a competitive examination represents years of sacrifice by families and the possibility of a better future. When question papers leak repeatedly, evaluation systems fail or allegations of manipulation emerge, the resulting damage strikes at the idea of fairness itself. The crisis surrounding NEET-UG exposed uncomfortable vulnerabilities in the country’s examination infrastructure. The resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the subsequent appointment of Pralhad Joshi with additional charge of the ministry underlined the political seriousness of the issue. But political accountability alone cannot fix a structural problem. That is why the composition of the new task force is a move on the right direction. It brings together expertise from technology, space research, intelligence, education administration and logistics. Nilekani’s appointment is particularly significant. The former Infosys chief executive and architect of Aadhaar has experience in building large-scale digital public infrastructure involving hundreds of millions of citizens. The Aadhaar project itself was born out of a similar challenge: how to create a reliable identity system in a country where leakages and duplication weakened welfare delivery. India’s examination system now requires the same kind of thinking. The committee’s mandate to examine the entire examination lifecycle - from question paper creation and distribution to candidate verification, evaluation and results - is the right approach. The problem lies in multiple weak points where human intervention, poor security protocols and outdated processes can create opportunities for malpractice. Technology will inevitably be central to the solution. Artificial intelligence can help detect unusual patterns, blockchain-based verification can strengthen record security and better data systems can improve transparency. But a secure examination system requires independent oversight, professional management, clear accountability and swift punishment for wrongdoing. India’s National Testing Agency was created to bring efficiency and standardisation to public examinations. Its credibility must now be restored through reforms that are visible and trusted by students. The Nilekani task force has been given the difficult job of repairing that trust. The government has chosen a committee led by people with experience of managing complex national systems. It is a sensible first step. The real test will now be whether its recommendations translate into action.

Judicial Spine

In a country where the politically connected too often evade the consequences of their crimes, the conviction of former MP Prajwal Revanna is a rare but necessary reminder that India’s courts can stand firm even against the entitled and powerful.


By sentencing Revanna to life imprisonment for rape, sexual harassment and criminal intimidation, the Bengaluru special court has delivered a judgment that should echo through every corner of India’s judicial and political system.


The verdict is not just about justice delivered for man’s depravity but a watershed moment in holding VIP criminals accountable. Revanna’s last name is steeped in influence. The grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and son of former Karnataka minister H.D. Revanna, Prajwal strutted through the political landscape of Hassan with the arrogance of someone convinced he was untouchable.


Revanna’s crimes were meticulously documented, revolting in detail and symbolised the worst combination of power and perversion. A 48-year-old domestic worker was repeatedly raped, silenced by fear, then allegedly abducted to prevent her testimony. Sexually explicit videos filmed by Revanna himself.


The special court saw through Revanna’s entitlement, refused him bail and oversaw a fast-tracked trial that resulted in a conviction based on DNA evidence, eyewitness testimonies and a 1,632-page chargesheet. The survivor’s clothing, retained from the day of the assault, became irrefutable evidence. Her courage, along with that of her family and the all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), forms the moral backbone of this case.


In court, Revanna claim that “no one had filed a complaint” while he was “ruling” Hassan revealed the feudal worldview that infects so many Indian politicians. For them, political office is not a mandate to serve but a licence to dominate. The judiciary, through this case, has served a cold rebuttal that such people are not kings and nobody is above the law.


The real significance of the verdict lies in the precedent it must now set. India is teeming with public representatives facing serious criminal charges. Hundreds of MPs and MLAs have been accused of grave offences, including sexual violence. But most roam free, confident that party patronage, social capital and systemic inertia will protect them. Revanna thought the same. Well, he was wrong.


Too often, the VIP status of such politics becomes an invisible cloak of immunity. Courts must take note of the Revanna judgment and treat it as a template. And political parties, too, must stop fielding candidates with criminal backgrounds. Voters must stop tolerating dynasts who treat public service as inherited privilege. The law, when enforced impartially, is more powerful than any surname, any alliance or any ministerial post.


Revanna’s downfall is not so much about a great moral victory than a belated course correction. Too often in India, justice is delayed, diluted or denied. But this time, it was delivered. Let it be a warning to all political dynasts that they may try to run from their crimes, but they cannot hide from the long arm of Indian justice.

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