New Delhi, July 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Centre is committed to strengthening the country’s examination system and ensuring speedy justice in cases of paper leaks and examination-related malpractices, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday while introducing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha.
Opening the debate on the legislation, Singh said the proposed amendments were aimed at making the existing law more stringent and enhancing the credibility of public examinations. He added that the government had also initiated the process of establishing dedicated fast-track courts to exclusively deal with such offences.
Recalling that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 had already made examination-related offences cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, Singh said recent incidents prompted the government to further strengthen the legal framework.
“The Prime Minister felt the Act needed to be strengthened to ensure greater credibility of examinations and speedy justice,” he said.
The minister said the amendment significantly enhances penalties for service providers found involved in examination malpractices. The maximum financial penalty has been increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore, while the period during which guilty entities would be barred from conducting public examinations has been extended from four years to eight years.
He further said stricter punishment has also been proposed for directors and senior management of organisations involved in such offences. The minimum jail term has been raised from three years to five years, while the maximum sentence remains 10 years. The maximum fine has also been enhanced from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore.
Addressing organised examination fraud, Singh said the government had taken into account the growing nexus of examination mafias operating across states, irrespective of which political party was in power.
For organised crime involving examination authorities or service providers, the proposed amendment increases the minimum imprisonment from five years to seven years while retaining the maximum sentence of 10 years. The maximum fine has also been increased from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore.
Highlighting one of the key provisions of the Bill, Singh said dedicated fast-track courts would be established to ensure time-bound disposal of cases.
He said investigations would have to be completed within two months, after which the designated fast-track courts would conclude trials within three months. As a result, the entire process—from registration of the case to the final verdict—would be completed within five months.
The minister added that appeals against such judgments could be filed before a division bench of the concerned High Court within 30 days, subject to valid grounds.
Singh informed the House that the process of setting up special fast-track courts had already begun, with such courts established in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Similar courts would be set up in other parts of the country.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had constituted a high-level task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend comprehensive reforms to make the examination system leak-proof.
According to the minister, the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted on June 22, 2024, had made 46 recommendations, of which 35—around 76 per cent—have already been implemented.
Describing the amendment as a sincere effort to restore public confidence in examinations, Singh said the government expected broad support for the legislation.
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