Govt tables law amendment to check exam paper leaks, moots ₹10 cr penalty, wider ambit

The government tabled the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday in the wake of nationwide student protests over alleged examination irregularities that culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.

The Bill that seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was tabled by minister of state in the department of atomic Energy Jitendra Singh.

The Bill proposes a fine of up to ₹10 crore for offences related to paper leaks and other organized examination malpractices, as against the maximum penalty of ₹1 crore for organized crimes under the current law. The amendments will also expand the law's coverage to include all public examinations, including those conducted by state governments.

Under the proposed Bill, the offences are cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. Individuals found guilty of using unfair means face increased imprisonment of five to ten years, from three to five years under the existing law, and an increase in the fine from up to ₹10 lakh to up to ₹50 lakh.

It also proposes that service providers can now be fined up to ₹5 crore, besides recovery of examination costs and debarment from conducting public examinations for eight years.

If the amendments are passed, apart from a minimum fine of ₹10 crore and an imprisonment of seven to ten years, properties of institutions involved in organized examination fraud may be attached and forfeited.

Mint had earlier reported that the Centre was preparing to strengthen the anti-paper leak law through amendments that would propose steeper penalties and bring state-level public examinations within its ambit.

The Bill, which received Union Cabinet approval on Friday, comes amid renewed concerns over the integrity of public examinations following the controversy surrounding the alleged paper leak in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and mounting demands for stronger safeguards against organized examination fraud.

The bill tabled today also proposes that the government can refer the investigation to any central investigation agency or constitute a special task force (STF). It also proposes that an investigation must be completed within two months from the date on which the information was recorded.

Fast-track trials

Additionally, for a speedy trial on a day-to-day basis, every state government and Union Territory administration, in consultation with the chief justice of the concerned high court, shall designate a session court as a special fast track court (SFTC) to try offences covered by the act, with the trial to be completed within three months of filing the chargesheet. State administration are also to appoint a special public prosecutor under the special fast track court.

The move also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late-night video message to protesting students on Thursday, in which he announced the government would introduce a stronger anti-paper leak law during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which came into force on 21 June 2024, was enacted to curb paper leaks, organized cheating and other unfair practices following widespread concerns over alleged irregularities in examinations such as NEET and UGC-NET. The legislation established a dedicated legal framework to deal with offences committed by individuals and entities involved in conducting public examinations by the Centre and its agencies.

At present, the law applies to examinations conducted by agencies such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), National Testing Agency (NTA), recruitment examinations conducted by central ministries and departments, and other authorities notified by the Centre.

The law defines a wide range of offences, including leaking question papers or answer keys, unauthorized access to question papers or OMR sheets, tampering with answer sheets, manipulating seating arrangements, violating security protocols, hacking computer systems, creating fake examination websites, issuing fake admit cards and conducting fake examinations for monetary gain.

The amendment comes as paper leaks have emerged as a major political issue, with spreading protests over the NEET-UG paper leaks and student suicides over the issue. The protests were led by a party of youngsters, the Cockroach Janta Party and joined by major Opposition parties, who had together demanded resignation of the education minister and sought a discussion in Parliament on the matter. The protests were called off after his resignation.

On Sunday, the government had also announced setting up of a high-powered task force, headed by former UIDAI chief and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, to recommend steps to make the examination system leak-proof and technology-driven.