President Murmu assents to anti-paper leak amendment Bill
The President accorded assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, after it was passed by both Houses of Parliament
The amendment strengthens the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which was enacted to curb paper leaks and organised cheating in recruitment and entrance examinations
The amended law raises penalties for individuals and organised rackets involved in examination malpractice and mandates fast-track adjudication of such cases
A gazette notification was issued by the Law Ministry formalising the Act's entry into force
Presidential Assent — Article 111 of the Constitution
Article 111 governs how a Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament becomes law. The President may give assent, withhold assent, or (for non-Money Bills) return the Bill once for reconsideration; if Parliament passes it again with or without amendments, the President is bound to give assent. There is no fixed timeline within which the President must act, though the Constitution (via successor conventions and, in some states, gubernatorial equivalents) expects assent "as soon as possible."
Key Details
- Article 111 applies to ordinary Bills passed by Parliament; Money Bills (Article 110) can only be assented to, not returned
- The analogous provision for state legislation and Governors is Article 200, which has been the subject of recent Supreme Court scrutiny over assent delays
- Once assent is given, the Bill becomes an Act and is notified in the official Gazette of India, after which it takes legal effect (either immediately or from a notified date)
- The Act is administered by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training), which piloted the original 2024 legislation
The Amendment Bill's journey from parliamentary passage to becoming enforceable law followed this Article 111 process — presidential assent converts the Bill into the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, which then took effect via gazette notification.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — Origin and Scope
The parent Act was enacted in 2024 in response to a series of high-profile paper leaks affecting recruitment examinations such as those conducted by the UPSC, SSC, Railway Recruitment Boards, IBPS, and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET, JEE, and other entrance tests. It created the offence of "using unfair means" in a public examination and a distinct, more severe offence of "organised crime" when unfair means are used by a group for wrongful gain.
Key Details
- Original 2024 Act: individual offences punishable with 3–5 years' imprisonment and a fine up to ₹10 lakh
- Original 2024 Act: organised crime punishable with 5–10 years' imprisonment and a fine of at least ₹1 crore, with attachment/forfeiture of an offending institution's property
- The Act covers examinations conducted by specified "public examination authorities," including UPSC, SSC, RRBs, IBPS, NTA, and central government departments/ministries
- The 2024 Act made offences under it cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable
The 2026 Amendment builds on this 2024 framework by increasing penalties further and adding a time-bound investigation-and-trial mechanism, reflecting continued concern over the deterrent adequacy of the original provisions.
Fast-Track Courts as a Legislative Deterrence Tool
Fast-track courts are special courts designated for time-bound trial of specific categories of offences, used elsewhere in Indian law such as under the POCSO Act framework and for certain heinous crimes. The 2026 Amendment directs states and Union Territories to set up Special Fast Track Courts specifically for offences under the examinations law, with statutory timelines for both investigation and trial.
Key Details
- Investigation of offences under the amended Act must be completed within two months
- Trial before the Special Fast Track Courts must be completed within three months of the filing of the chargesheet
- Special Public Prosecutors are to be appointed for these cases, along with time-bound disposal of appeals
- Fast-track courts are typically constituted by state governments in consultation with the respective High Court, drawing on the model used for sexual offence cases under POCSO
The Amendment Act's assent operationalises this fast-track mechanism nationwide, aiming to close the gap between detection of a paper leak and final conviction — a gap that had allowed repeat offences in earlier recruitment cycles.
- Parent Act: Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024
- Amending Act: Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026
- Nodal ministry: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (DoPT)
- Constitutional basis for assent: Article 111
- Investigation timeline under the amended law: 2 months
- Trial timeline under the amended law: 3 months from chargesheet