New Delhi: Union Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh, moved the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, for discussion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, terming the legislation a “milestone” in India’s parliamentary history. Introduced against the backdrop of nationwide protests regarding the NEET-UG paper leak, the Bill seeks to overhaul the existing 2024 Act by introducing stringent penal provisions and time-bound judicial processes to safeguard the future of the nation’s youth.
Addressing the Lower House, Minister Singh emphasized that the amendment is a direct reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to eliminating examination malpractices. He stated that the legislation is designed to restore the credibility of public recruitment and entrance examinations by ensuring both deterrent punishment and expedited justice. The Bill proposes a significant hike in penalties, with individual prison terms for those resorting to unfair means increasing from a minimum of three years to five years, extendable up to ten years, alongside a maximum fine hike from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
The proposed legal framework introduces specialized mechanisms to combat organized crime syndicates targeting the education sector. For organized examination-related offences, the minimum imprisonment term is set to rise from five years to seven years, extendable to ten, with maximum fines jumping from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore. Furthermore, service providers found complicit in such activities face an increased maximum fine of Rs 5 crore and an extension of their debarment period from conducting public examinations from four years to eight years.
To ensure accountability, the Bill empowers the Centre to constitute a Special Task Force for investigations. A critical addition is Section 12A, which mandates the completion of investigations within two months and designates Courts of Session as Special Fast Track Courts. These courts are tasked with conducting day-to-day trials to ensure verdicts are reached within three months from the date of filing the charge sheet. Special Public Prosecutors will also be appointed to every designated fast-track court to streamline the litigation process.
During his address, Dr. Singh also addressed political criticism by highlighting historical instances of paper leaks during previous UPA administrations, citing incidents from 2009 to 2013 across various state and national boards. He argued that while committees had recommended a common national testing agency as early as 1992, the current government was the first to formalize the National Testing Agency (NTA) in 2017 and enact dedicated anti-leak legislation. Following a consensus reached by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju with leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and NCP, the Lok Sabha agreed to extend the debate on the Bill by two hours beyond its original six-hour schedule.
