India, July 25 -- The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill that proposes harsher punishments, including jail terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs.10 crore, for those convicted of leaking examination papers, HT reported.

The bill lands in the middle of a standoff between the Centre, and student and youth demonstrators mobilised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose protests over competitive exam leaks have turned into wider demonstrations across India. The agitation has also called for Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down, and some of the demonstrations in New Delhi have drawn a police response.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had indicated in a social media post on Thursday that the Cabinet would t...