Overview
- Omar Abdullah publicly corrected J.P. Nadda on Thursday, July 23, saying the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (SSB) paper leak occurred in 2022 when the union territory was run by a Lieutenant Governor.
- J.P. Nadda had named Jammu and Kashmir on July 22 in a list of recent paper-leak incidents and tied the case to Congress and National Conference leaders during a press conference.
- The 2022 SSB controversy prompted Jammu & Kashmir High Court orders, a High-Level Committee probe and a CBI investigation that led to more than a dozen arrests, including reports of a BSF commandant among those detained.
- Students protesting nationwide for accountability have escalated demands for resignations and reforms while the prime minister has proposed fast-track courts and the Centre has invited parliamentary debate on paper leaks.
- The dispute sharpens two pressures on authorities: publish the High-Level Committee’s findings for transparency and adopt systemic fixes such as secured exam printing and NTA reforms to reduce future leaks.