- The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, has been passed by both houses
- PM Modi said the Bill will make the exam system more robust
- He called for people to work towards the dream of building a developed India
Taking to Instagram for the fourth time in less than a week over the issues of paper leaks and strengthening the education system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has posted a video praising the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
The Bill, which proposes several measures to enhance punishments for paper leaks and the setting up of fast-track courts to adjudicate such cases, was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and cleared by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The legislation was promised by the Prime Minister in his first Instagram video on the twin issues last week and he said its passage is a significant step towards making the examination system more robust and trustworthy.
In the video, posted on Thursday night, PM Modi said that his government has been taking several steps to strengthen the examination system, including forming a task force, setting up fast-track courts, and taking suggestions from states.
"Because, for the past several decades, every state and the Centre have been facing the issue of paper leaks. Due to this, the future of children is facing a crisis. Keeping all this in mind, across the nation - in all states as well as at the Centre - reforming the education system has become a must. Using technology to the maximum has become necessary. And, along with this, any paper mafia, paper-leaking gang, or gang playing with the future of the nation's children will not be spared. Strict laws are needed for this," he said in Hindi.
"We introduced a Bill in Parliament and, as I promised you, over the past two days, extensive discussions took place in both Houses of Parliament. Today, both Houses have passed this Bill, which contains strict laws. A significant milestone has been achieved towards building a trustworthy examination system. This work will continue. We will not allow such conditions to persist for long. With this trust, friends, let us all walk shoulder to shoulder to fulfil the dream of a developed India (Viksit Bharat)," the Prime Minister added.
The Bill enhances punishments for individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams to jail terms of a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years, alongside a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. For organised crimes, it proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine not less than Rs 10 crore.
The amendment seeks to empower all state governments and Union Territory administrations to designate any court of session as a special fast-track court to try offences related to paper leaks and provides for trials to be completed within three months from the date of filing the chargesheet.
Earlier videos
In his first such Instagram video on July 23, when the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests were still on, PM Modi had said a fast-track court had been set up to hear paper leak cases and that a bill would be brought in to take "more strict actions".
The next day, he thanked youngsters for sending insightful suggestions on the video and said his relationship with them would only grow stronger.
Another video was posted on July 26, in which the Prime Minister announced that a task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani would analyse and propose ways to improve India's examination systems and submit a report to the government.
On July 24, PM Modi had also advised his Cabinet colleagues to engage with younger generations on Instagram.
