- The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced by the Union government on July 27, 2026, proposing tougher punishments and faster investigations into exam paper leaks and organised cheating.
- The objective of the Bill is to improve the transparency, fairness and credibility of public examinations following recent incidents of paper leaks and malpractice.
- Service providers involved in malpractice could face fines of up to Rs 5 crore, compared with Rs 1 crore under the existing law.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced by the Indian government, aims to tackle the growing issue of exam paper leaks and malpractice.1
The bill significantly increases penalties for individuals convicted of using unfair means, raising the maximum imprisonment from five years to ten years and fines from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
Additionally, service providers involved in malpractice could face fines up to Rs 5 crore, compared to Rs 1 crore under the existing law.3
To expedite investigations, the bill empowers the Union government to form a Special Task Force (STF) dedicated to investigating paper leak cases, with investigations required to be completed within two months.
Furthermore, every State and Union Territory must establish special fast track courts to exclusively handle offences under the Act, conducting hearings on a day-to-day basis and completing trials within three months of filing charges.
This legislative move follows a series of incidents that have raised concerns about the integrity of public examinations, aiming to restore confidence in the examination system.
“The bill aims to enhance the transparency, fairness, and credibility of public examinations following recent paper leak incidents. It proposes fines of up to ₹5 crore for service providers involved in malpractice, significantly increasing penalties from the previous ₹1 crore limit.”
