Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a central probe into 11 examination paper leak cases in Punjab to uncover what she termed a multi-crore scam and ensure justice for nearly five lakh affected students.
In a statement, Harsimrat alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had no interest in investigating the leaks as it could implicate its own ministers. She said those responsible for compromising the examination system should be punished for "playing with the future of an entire generation".
Harsimrat said people had lost faith in the state government's ability to conduct recruitment examinations, alleging that no accountability had been fixed despite serious lapses in examinations conducted by the Education Department, Health Department and the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB).
She questioned why Education Minister Harjot Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh had not been removed and why Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had not taken moral responsibility as the minister in charge of the PSSSB.
The SAD leader said paper leaks and alleged irregularities had also reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had stayed recruitment processes in some cases, including the Excise Inspectors examination.
Harsimrat alleged that instead of taking strict action, the AAP government was attempting to "cover up" the matter and maintaining that no paper leaks had taken place in the state. She cited Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's March 13, 2023 post acknowledging that the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET) paper had been leaked.
She also referred to alleged irregularities in the Pharmacy Officers examination, claiming that an organised racket charged ₹13 lakh from candidates and used Bluetooth devices to dictate answers. She alleged that the paper was leaked from examination centres with the involvement of staff.
According to Harsimrat, the major cases over the past four years included the Naib Tehsildar paper leak affecting 42,000 students, the TET paper leak affecting one lakh, the PSEB Class 12 English paper leak affecting 2.5 lakh, the Agriculture Development Officers paper leak affecting 4,100 and the PSSSB Group B Officers paper leak affecting one lakh students.
She said the issue had become sensitive as the state government was conducting "sham inquiries". She also pointed out that although the State Vigilance Bureau registered a case in December 2025 over the Excise Inspectors paper leak, no action had been taken so far. The Pharmacy Officers examination, she added, had also not been scrapped.
Harsimrat had raised the issue in Parliament on Tuesday, welcoming the proposed amendment bill to check paper leaks but saying it should have been introduced after consultations with stakeholders, including students.
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