- The Lok Sabha has passed the Public Examinations Amendment Bill, 2026 to combat exam malpractices
- The Bill increases jail terms for paper leaks to 10 years and fines up to Rs 10 crore
- It includes penalties for agencies managing exams and their senior executives involved in fraud
The anti-paper leak bill will "dismantle the paper leak ecosystem" and increase transparency, credibility and fairness exams, Union minister Pralhad Joshi - who took charge of the education portfolio after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation- said today.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday, was framed after weeks of protests spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party.
"The Lok Sabha has passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, ushering in a tougher legal framework to combat examination malpractices," read Joshi's post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"With stricter penalties, fast-track courts, enhanced investigation mechanisms and stringent action against exam fraud, the Bill aims to dismantle the paper leak ecosystem and increase transparency, credibility and fairness in the examination process," he added.
The proposed law will double the maximum jail term for those involved in leaking exam papers to 10 years and raises the maximum fine to more than Rs 10 crore.
The proposed law also brings under its ambit agencies involved in conducting examinations, managing centres, providing technology support or handling logistics. Such service providers can face fines of up to Rs 1 crore, recovery of examination costs and debarment from conducting examinations for four years.
There will also be stricter penalties for directors, senior executives and other persons in charge of service providers if they are found complicit in fraud.
The protests against paper leaks in New Delhi turned violent on July 20 when huge crowds attempted to march towards parliament from the Jantar Mantar protest site. The police had fired tear gas and used batons to disperse the protest, triggering clashes and a wave of detentions.
The protesters had made three key demands - the key one being the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. After attempts to negotiate on this demand failed, Pradhan stepped down on Saturday.
The Centre has also accepted the other two demands of the CJP - withdrawal of police cases against protesters across India and paying financial compensation to the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide.
After the government's nod, the CJP had called off the protests. But yesterday they said they could restart it, since the government is yet to deliver on its promises.
