'Head of family PM Modi listens': BJP's Raghav Chadha hails 'historic' anti-paper leak Bill
Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, tightening penalties under the parent 2024 Act.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 27 July 2026, passed there on 29 July 2026, and passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote on 30 July 2026.
Under the amendment, general offences of using unfair means in public examinations — including question-paper leaks — now carry imprisonment of five to ten years (up from three to five years) and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh (up from ₹10 lakh).
The underlying framework of the 2024 Act — covering tampering with answer sheets or computer systems, impersonation, fake examination websites, and organised-crime provisions — is retained and reinforced by the amendment.
Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024
Enacted after a series of high-profile examination-integrity failures, the Act creates a dedicated central law to deter and punish unfair means in public examinations conducted by central government bodies and agencies such as the National Testing Agency (NTA), UPSC, SSC, and railway recruitment boards. It came into force on 21 June 2024, having been passed by Parliament on 9 February 2024 and receiving presidential assent on 12 February 2024.
Key Details
- Defines "unfair means" broadly: unauthorised access to or leakage of question papers/answer keys, tampering with computer networks or resources, assisting candidates unfairly, manipulating merit lists, conducting fake examinations, and issuing fake admit cards or offer letters for monetary gain
- All offences under the Act are cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable
- Prior to the 2026 amendment: general offences attracted 3–5 years' imprisonment and a fine up to ₹10 lakh; "organised crime" (involving persons, institutions, or coaching centres acting in concert) attracted 5–10 years and a minimum fine of ₹1 crore, with attachment/forfeiture of institutional property
The 2026 Amendment Bill raises the general-offence penalty band to match what was previously reserved for organised crime, signalling a policy shift toward treating individual acts of unfair means with the same severity as syndicate-level fraud.
National Testing Agency and the Institutional Backdrop
The National Testing Agency, an autonomous body under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, was established in November 2017 to conduct entrance examinations such as JEE Main, NEET-UG, and UGC-NET, taking over this function from bodies like the CBSE. High-profile leak controversies involving NTA-conducted examinations in 2024 were a direct trigger for the original 2024 Act.
Key Details
- NTA registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
- Conducts examinations for admission to higher education institutions and, until recently, select recruitment examinations
- The scale of NTA-administered exams (lakhs of candidates per exam) is central to why Parliament treats exam-fraud deterrence as a governance priority rather than a purely administrative matter
The tightened penalties in the 2026 amendment directly respond to gaps exposed by prior leak incidents in NTA-conducted examinations, aiming to raise the deterrent cost of large-scale, syndicate-driven malpractice.
Legislative Process — Ordinary Bill and Bicameral Passage
As an amendment to an ordinary central Act (not a constitutional amendment or Money Bill), the 2026 Bill required passage by a simple majority in both Houses of Parliament, with no special majority or state ratification threshold involved.
Key Details
- Introduced in the Lok Sabha (the House of origin) on 27 July 2026
- Passed by the Lok Sabha on 29 July 2026, and by the Rajya Sabha on 30 July 2026 by voice vote
- Ordinary Bills (Article 107) can originate in either House and require concurrence of both before being presented for Presidential assent, distinguishing them from Money Bills (Article 110), which the Rajya Sabha can only recommend changes to, not reject
The Bill's smooth, same-session passage through both Houses illustrates the standard bicameral process for ordinary legislation, distinct from the more constrained procedure for Money Bills or the special-majority requirement for constitutional amendments.
- General-offence penalty under the amended Act: imprisonment of 5–10 years (up from 3–5 years) and fine up to ₹50 lakh (up from ₹10 lakh)
- Parent Act: Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — in force from 21 June 2024
- 2026 Amendment Bill timeline: introduced in Lok Sabha 27 July 2026 → passed by Lok Sabha 29 July 2026 → passed by Rajya Sabha 30 July 2026
- NTA established: November 2017, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
- Offences under the Act: cognizable, non-bailable, non-compoundable