Centre to introduce tougher anti–paper-leak Bill, proposes 10-year jail term
text_fields
New Delhi: The Union government will introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament on Monday to strengthen legal action against paper leaks and other examination malpractices.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will table the Bill, which amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. A government notification on the Bill’s introduction has already been issued.
Key provisions propose stricter penalties — including up to 10 years’ imprisonment, fines of up to Rs 10 crore, and confiscation of assets — and the setting up of a mechanism to ensure verdicts within three months. The amendments also envisage fast-track courts mandated to complete trials and deliver judgments in examination-related cases within the three-month timeline.
The move follows Union Cabinet approval last Friday for measures to establish fast-track courts and impose harsher punishments for paper leaks, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said the government prepared a comprehensive Bill with stronger provisions against paper leaks and promised “more strict actions” in a Cabinet announcement.
In a video message on his official X account, the Prime Minister said paper leaks cause severe distress to students and families and noted recent actions that led to arrests and imprisonments of those responsible. He added that all resources were mobilised to ensure exams for nearly 22 lakh candidates proceeded without delay.
(Inputs from IANS)