AFTER an intense and often acrimonious debate spread over two days, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, by a voice vote, paving the way for stricter legal measures to combat paper leaks and examination-related malpractices. The legislation amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and was passed following prolonged discussions that witnessed sharp exchanges between the treasury and Opposition benches. While the NDA and its allies supported the Bill and called for wider reforms in the examination system, Opposition members questioned whether the proposed amendments addressed the fundamental reasons behind recurring examination failures and paper leaks. The amended law seeks to strengthen transparency, accountability, and integrity in public examinations through tougher punitive provisions while safeguarding the interests of students. Among its major provisions are enhanced penalties, including imprisonment of up to 10 years, fines of up to Rs 10 crore, confiscation of assets of those found guilty, and a mechanism aimed at ensuring that judgements in such cases are delivered within three months. The passage of the Bill also comes against the backdrop of the large-scale ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi on July 20. Defending the legislation, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who introduced the bill, said the Government had incorporated suggestions received from multiple stakeholders while finalising the amendments. “We have amended certain clauses of the Bill to include many inputs from various stakeholders,” he said.

 

Speaking in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Singh said the government acted swiftly in the NEET paper leak case, and as many as 52 FIRs have been lodged since the anti-paper leak law came into force in 2024. The amendment bill indicates that the Government is open to learning from experience, he said, noting that the rate of suicide related to paper leaks has also reduced over the last few years. Explaining the revised penal provisions, Singh said the maximum fine for service providers under the 2024 law had been increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. He added that the punishment for directors and senior management had also been enhanced, with imprisonment remaining between five and 10 years while the maximum fine had been raised to Rs 5 crore from the earlier Rs 1 crore. He further said that the earlier punishment of three to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh had now been increased to five to 10 years in jail along with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. Singh also highlighted that the punishment for in-charge personnel had been strengthened under the amended law, with imprisonment ranging from five to 10 years and fines increased to Rs 5 crore. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Tejasvi Surya, and NCP’s Supriya Sule were among those who participated in the debate. For organised examination rackets and criminal syndicates involved in paper leaks, the amended Bill proposes a minimum prison term of seven years, up from five years, along with a fine of up to Rs 10 crore, significantly higher than the earlier ceiling of Rs 1 crore.