The Lok Sabha has taken up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 for consideration and passing. The Bill seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The legislation incorporates several significant provisions, including stringent penalties such as imprisonment for up to ten years, fines of up to ten crore rupees, and the seizure of the properties of convicted offenders. To ensure the expeditious disposal of cases, the legislation mandates that every State Government and Union Territory Administration establish Special Fast Track Courts for the day-to-day trial. It further provides that investigations into offences must be completed within two months from the date the information is recorded at the police station. The trials must be concluded within three months from the filing of the chargesheet.
Moving the Bill, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh said, the new legislation reaffirms the government’s deep commitment to safeguard the welfare of the students and the youth of this country. He said, at the same time, it is also a reiteration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve not to allow anyone to compromise with the future of the youth of the country. Dr Singh claimed that it is milestone legislation in the history of Indian Parliament. Listing a series of paper leaks that occurred during the Congress and UPA era, Mr Singh said there was no comprehensive law to tackle the cases, and the Modi Government brought the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to ensure speedy justice.
Dr Singh said that taking cognisance of the recent incidents of paper leak, the Prime Minister himself decided that there is a need to further strengthen the legal framework to prevent malpractices. The Minister said, accordingly, this amendment has been brought forward to make the law more stringent, so that the credibility of these examinations is enhanced and restored.
Participating in the discussion, Gaurav Gagoi of Congress accused the government of not being serious about the education sector and not intending to bring real reforms. He alleged that this new Bill is merely an eyewash, as it is only an amendment to an earlier act.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj termed the legislation as a transformative step and said such legislation is the need of the hour to ensure fair and transparent examination. She said, this reflects the sensitivity and responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ms Swaraj said that today the examination mafia has become organised and has evolved into a cross-state criminal network. She highlighted that the bill has a provision to constitute a Special Task Force for investigation of cases related to paper leaks. Ms Swaraj said, this bill mandates that every state and Union Territory can establish Special Fast Track Courts for speedy trail.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav expressed concern over the paper leak of various examinations. He also questioned the government’s decision of recruiting official through outsourcing in the National Testing Agency, which conducts the NEET examination. Mr Yadav said that the NEET UG paper was leaked this year, despite the new act – Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) was made in 2024.
Supporting the Bill, Abhisekh Banerjee of AITC said, every student deserves that the examination should be fair. He said, a stringent law is necessary to prevent paper leaks.
