Activist demands time-bound prosecution in long-pending paper leak cases relating to two NDA MLAs in U.P.

LAmid nationwide uproar over paper leaks, Lucknow-based social activist Amitabh Thakur on Monday (July 27, 2026) wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting effective, impartial and time-bound prosecution in the long-pending paper leak cases relating to Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA Bedi Ram and Nishad Party MLA Vipul Dubey, both allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh. 

“In the light of the nationwide concern over recent paper leak incidents and the declared zero-tolerance policy of both the Union and Uttar Pradesh Governments, older pending cases should also receive the same degree of seriousness and administrative attention. In the representation, I referred to the pending Railway Recruitment examination paper leak case of 2006, pending against Bedi Ram, Vipul Dubey and others for the last 20 years. Similarly, other criminal cases relating to examination paper leaks are also reported to be pending against Bedi Ram in different jurisdictions. The affidavits filed by both the MLAs to the Election Commission mention in detail the pending cases. I request the State government to ensure regular high-level review, effective representation by competent public prosecutors and continuous monitoring of these cases so that the judicial process proceeds in accordance with law without avoidable delay,” Mr. Thakur, a 1992-batch retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre who leads Azad Adhikar Sena, an outfit, told The Hindu.

Mr. Ram, the SBSP MLA, is charged with six cases in Uttar Pradesh, two in Madhya Pradesh and one in Rajasthan. The charges against him include Sections 4/6 of the Rajasthan Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 1992: Unauthorised possession or disclosure of question paper, Sections 2/3 of the UP-Gangster Act, 1986: Punishment for a public servant, who illegally helps or supports a gang member before or after commission of crime, Sections 4/5/10 of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 1998: Unauthorised possession, disclosure of question paper, leakage by person entrusted with examination work and penalties for both and Sections 3/9 of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 1998: Use of unfair means and resources.

Mr. Dubey, also faces charges related to Railway Examination paper leak.