New Delhi, July 29: Parliament on Wednesday approved a string of amendments to India’s anti-paper leak law that will drastically enhance punishment for offenders, shorten the investigation period and ensure faster adjudication, in a bid to restore the trust of young job seekers and examinees after a series of controversies rocked high-stakes entrance and recruitment examinations across the country in recent months.
Passed by a voice vote following a heated debate, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 gives more teeth to the anti-paper leak law by enhancing penalties, reducing the investigation period and expediting cases involving paper leaks and organised examination fraud.
The amended legislation mandates that investigations into paper leak cases must be completed within a maximum of two months. States and Union Territories will be required to designate as many Special Fast Track Courts as necessary to hear such cases on a day-to-day basis. The Bill also provides for the appointment of Special Public Prosecutors and prescribes a time limit for filing appeals, thereby speeding up the overall process.
A person found guilty could now face imprisonment of five to 10 years, besides a fine of up to ₹50 lakh. Organised criminal networks involved in paper leaks or examination fraud could face fines of up to ₹10 crore, while service providers or institutions found complicit in malpractices may be penalised up to ₹5 crore and barred from conducting public examinations for eight years, up from the existing four-year restriction.
Replying to the debate, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the amendments were aimed at ensuring speedy justice and curbing the menace of paper leaks through stricter legal provisions. Opposition members also supported stronger action against cheating but argued that legislation alone would not address the deeper structural issues affecting the country’s competitive examination system.
The Bill comes at a crucial time following the controversy surrounding the NEET (UG) 2026 examination, the results of which are now under fresh scrutiny, causing anxiety among lakhs of students aspiring to secure admission to professional courses. Earlier this week, the CBI filed its first chargesheet in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case against 13 individuals under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, along with provisions of other criminal laws.
The amendments are likely to have a direct bearing on students from the Northeast as well, where thousands of aspirants appear every year for national-level examinations such as NEET, CUET, JEE, SSC and several central government recruitment tests. The Centre has maintained that the strengthened law is intended to ensure faster justice and act as a stronger deterrent against organised examination fraud.
The Bill will now be taken up by the Rajya Sabha for consideration and approval.
