Govt Tables Act Amendment to Check Exam Paper Leaks, ₹10 Cr Fine Controversies, Wider Scope

The government on Monday tabled the Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractice) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha in the wake of nationwide student protests against alleged examination irregularities that culminated in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.

The Bill, which seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractice) Act, 2024, has been introduced by Secretary of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh.

The bill proposes a fine of up to ₹10 million for offenses related to the paper leak and other organized misconduct in investigations, against the maximum penalty ₹1 million for organized crime under current law. The amendment will also extend the scope of the law to all public examinations, including those conducted by state governments.

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The amendment bill proposes penalties including fines of up to ₹10 million for serious paper leak offences, increased jail terms of five to ten years and higher fines for individuals who use dishonest means.

The amendment follows widespread student protests and concerns over examination irregularities, particularly the NEET-UG paper leak, which prompted the government to strengthen the law to ensure integrity in public examinations.

The bill mandates that investigations must be completed within two months and establishes special fast-track courts that are required to complete trials within three months of the indictment.

Service providers can face a fine of up to ₹ 5 lakh and be banned from conducting public examinations for eight years if found guilty of participating in the fraud in the investigation.

Yes, educational institutions should be concerned because the new law includes provisions to seize and forfeit assets involved in organized fraud during investigations, raising the stakes for compliance.

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According to the proposed law, the offenses are cognizable, non-chargeable and non-countable. Persons found guilty of using unfair means face an increased prison sentence of five to ten years, up from three to five years under the current law, and an increase in fines of up to ₹10 thousand up to ₹50 lakhs.

It also suggests that service providers can now be fined up to ₹5 million crowns, in addition to payment of examination costs and exclusion from conducting public examinations for a period of eight years.

If the amendments pass, in addition to a minimum fine of ₹10 million and imprisonment for seven to ten years, the assets of institutions involved in organized fraud under investigation may be attached and forfeited.

The Mint had earlier said the Center was preparing to strengthen the anti-paper leakage law through amendments that would propose tougher penalties and bring state-level public examinations under its purview.

The bill, approved by the Union Cabinet on Friday, comes amid renewed concerns over the integrity of public exams following the controversy surrounding the alleged paper leak in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and growing demands for stronger safeguards against organized exam cheating.

The bill tabled today also proposes that the government can hand over investigations to any central investigating agency or create a special task force (STF). It also suggests that the investigation must be completed within two months from the date the information was recorded.

Accelerated exams

Moreover, for speedy day-to-day trial, each State Government and Union Territory administration, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the relevant High Court, shall designate a Sessions Court as a Special Fast Track Court (SFTC) to try the offenses covered by the Act, the trial to be completed within three months of the filing of the charge. The state administration is also to appoint a special public prosecutor under a special fast-track court.

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The move also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late-night video message to protesting students in which he announced that the government would introduce a stricter law against paper leakage during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractice) Act, 2024, which came into force on 21 June 2024, was enacted to curb paper leaks, organized cheating and other malpractices following widespread concerns over alleged irregularities in examinations such as NEET and UGC-NET. The legislation created a specific legal framework to deal with offenses committed by individuals and entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the center and its agencies.

At present, the Act covers examinations conducted by agencies such as Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), National Testing Agency (NTA), recruitment examinations conducted by Central Ministries and Departments and other bodies 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, tampering with seating arrangements, breaching security protocols, hacking computer systems, creating fake test websites, issuing fake admit cards and conducting fake exams for monetary gain.

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The amendment comes at a time when paper leaks have emerged as a major political issue, with protests against NEET-UG paper leaks spreading and student suicides over the issue. The protests were led by the Janta party of young cockroaches and were joined by major opposition parties, which together demanded the resignation of the Minister of Education and sought to discuss the matter in parliament. After his resignation, the protests were called off.

On Sunday, the government also announced the 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 investigative system leak-proof and technology-driven.