The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday passed a condemnation resolution, with the House condemning repeated examination scandals, recruitment irregularities and institutional failures that it said had undermined the integrity of public examinations and the aspirations of India’s youth.Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while speaking on the resolution, claimed that 93 incidents of paper leaks had been reported since 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre. He said 65 such cases were reported between 2019 and 2024, and accused the Centre of failing to address the issue effectively.The House also condemned the alleged excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of peaceful students and citizens, including education and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, for exercising their democratic right to protest.The members of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha expressed solidarity with students across the country and called for the withdrawal of criminal proceedings against peaceful protesters.The Monsoon Session of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha began on Monday with the Congress targeting Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over the alleged pharmacist recruitment exam paper leak in Faridkot.After staging a protest outside the House, Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, entered the Assembly wearing black stoles. The session, presided over by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan, began with obituary references.Punjab Assembly passes condemnation resolution over exam scandalsAugust 3, 2026 3:49 pmThe Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday passed a condemnation resolution, with the House condemning repeated examination scandals, recruitment irregularities and institutional failures that it said had undermined the integrity of public examinations and the aspirations of India’s youth.Mann questions ‘Vishwaguru’ claim over paper leaks, history booksAugust 3, 2026 3:19 pmCM Bhagwant Mann questioned the “Vishwaguru” claim while referring to the Prime Minister, saying, “How does he claim to be Vishwaguru when he cannot stop paper leaks?” Mann also alleged that the government was trying to rewrite history books.Punjab CM targets Centre over paper leaks, alleges use of force on studentsAugust 3, 2026 3:19 pmBhagwant Mann said the BJP remained non-committal on the issue of paper leaks and had only promised fast-track courts to deal with those involved. He also accused the government of using pellet guns against students seeking accountability. Mann further alleged that the Prime Minister’s degree was fake.CM Mann alleges 93 paper leak cases since 2014, targets CentreAugust 3, 2026 3:18 pmPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while speaking on the condemnation resolution, claimed that 65 cases of paper leaks were reported between 2019 and 2024, while 93 incidents had been reported since 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre.Ayali backs resolution, condemns lathi charge on protestersAugust 3, 2026 2:34 pmRebel SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, while supporting the condemnation resolution, praised the management of Gurdwara Rakabganj for housing, nursing and feeding students during the Delhi protest. However, he condemned the state government over the lathi charge on protesting sanitation workers and MGNREGA workers, saying, “everyone has a right to protest.”Punjab Education Minister says time to seek students’ forgiveness, not forgive themAugust 3, 2026 1:58 pmHarjot Singh Bains said, “This is not the time to forgive the students, but to seek their forgiveness for failing them as policymakers and as a government.”Bains calls for education system overhaul, says Education Commission is mustAugust 3, 2026 1:58 pmHarjot Bains said the issue was not limited to cheating and paper leaks alone, and called for a reboot of the education system with all stakeholders coming together to build a system aligned with changing global times. He said other countries were far ahead and Indian students wanted to compete with their counterparts globally. He added that an Education Commission was necessary for a true “Viksit Bharat”. Bains also raised the issue of E20 fuel.Bains says students protesting at Jantar Mantar were not ‘anti-national’August 3, 2026 1:56 pmPunjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said he was the only Education Minister who visited the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar. He said students from across the country had gathered there to protest for India and not against it, adding that opposing voices should not be labelled as “anti-national”.Speaker Sandhawan backs Gen Z, takes dig at PM’s ‘friends’ remarkAugust 3, 2026 1:49 pmPunjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan lauded the Gen Z of the country while taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s Instagram reel on the issue, in which he referred to the youth as “friends”.Punjab Finance Minister targets Centre over arrests of protesting studentsAugust 3, 2026 1:48 pmHarpal Cheema said, “As many as 694 children in Bihar and 16 in West Bengal have been arrested. The Centre wants to give away the education sector to the private sector. I want to ask the BJP why it treated the youth so shabbily by firing pellet guns at them, dragging them and arresting them. I salute the children who have forced the Central Government to bend,” adding that the resolution being passed by the Vidhan Sabha should be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, Home Minister’s Office and Education Minister’s Office.Cheema alleges 70 paper leaks under BJP rule at CentreAugust 3, 2026 1:48 pmCheema alleged that 70 incidents of paper leaks have been reported in the past few years under the BJP-led government at the Centre. He said, “The future of our youth is at stake. The paper leak gangs are ruling the roost. In the NEET retest, 2.50 lakh students refused to appear again. It shows their lack of faith in the Central Government,” adding that students were opposing the arrogance of the “ruler of the country”.Harpal Cheema moves condemnation resolution over paper leak issueAugust 3, 2026 1:38 pmPunjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema moved a condemnation resolution against the BJP-led Centre over the issue of paper leaks, alleged use of force and weapons against protesting students, and demanded complete transparency in the recruitment process.Ayali raises fake encounter issue during Zero HourAugust 3, 2026 1:04 pmAs Zero Hour began, rebel SAD MLA and now Waris Punjab De leader Manpreet Singh Ayali raised the issue of alleged fake police encounters during the days of terrorism. He claimed that hundreds of people who went missing were cremated as unidentified persons.House adjourned after ruckus over paper leakAugust 3, 2026 12:27 pmTribune photo: Ravi Kumar | Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan warned of action as Congress MLAs refused to budge from their stand. Amid the continued protest, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains left the House, following which the session was deferred till 12.30 pm.Ashwani Sharma, Sandeep Jakhar back Congress issueAugust 3, 2026 12:22 pmBJP MLA Ashwani Sharma and suspended Congress MLA Sandeep Jakhar also stood up in support of the issue raised by the Congress, but did not enter the Well of the House.Congress, AAP trade slogans in HouseAugust 3, 2026 12:19 pmCongress MLAs raised slogans against the AAP government over the alleged paper leak. In response, AAP MLAs raised counter-slogans against the Congress, leading to noisy scenes in the House.Congress MLAs enter Well, seek ministers’ resignationAugust 3, 2026 12:18 pmCongress MLAs trooped into the Well of the House, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh over the alleged examination paper leak in Punjab.Ruckus as Bajwa targets Harjot Bains over paper leaksAugust 3, 2026 12:17 pmThe Punjab Vidhan Sabha witnessed a ruckus after Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that while Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had demanded the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, he had remained silent on six alleged examination paper leaks during the AAP government’s tenure.Sukhpal Khaira corners govt over pharmacist paper leakAugust 3, 2026 12:17 pmThe alleged pharmacist recruitment examination paper leak dominated Question Hour in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, with Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira seeking to corner the government over the issue. Questioning the AAP government’s stand, Khaira said that while the party had targeted the BJP over the NEET paper leak, it had remained silent on the alleged pharmacist recruitment examination paper leak.Assembly pays obituary referencesAugust 3, 2026 11:28 amThe session, presided over by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan, began with obituary references. During the first sitting, which lasted 11 minutes, the House paid tributes to Olympian and former sports administrator Randhir Singh; former MLA Sahi Ram Bishnoi; freedom fighter Sewa Singh; martyrs Sarabjeet Singh and Sikandar Singh; singer Chan Goraya; Manjit Singh, uncle of MLA Devinderjit Singh Ladidhos; and Bhupinder Singh and Sikandar Singh, uncles of Congress MLA Barinder Singh Pahra.CM Mann arrives at Punjab Vidhan SabhaAugust 3, 2026 11:26 amPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann arrives at the Vidhan Sabha to attend the Monsoon Session in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Ravi KumarBJP raises paper leak issue in HouseAugust 3, 2026 11:24 amBJP MLA Ashwani Sharma raised the issue of various examination paper leaks during the tenure of the AAP government in the Punjab Assembly.Assembly pays tribute to NEET paper leak victimsAugust 3, 2026 11:24 amThe Punjab Assembly, while paying obituary references to departed souls, also paid tribute to students who lost their lives due to the NEET paper leak.Congress seeks Harjot Bains, Balbir Singh’s resignationAugust 3, 2026 11:12 amJalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh said the Congress was demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh over the alleged pharmacist recruitment exam paper leak. The party also said it would boycott Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the issue.Congress MLAs march to Assembly in black stolesAugust 3, 2026 11:11 amTribune photo: Ravi Kumar | Ahead of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session, the Congress announced that it would corner the ruling AAP government over the alleged pharmacist recruitment exam paper leak. After a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa marched towards the Vidhan Sabha wearing black stoles in protest.