India prepares itself for drastic reforms in its examination laws as the momentum to amend laws now moves towards Parliament amid massive protests across the nation. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 has been presented in the Lok Sabha today to ensure strict legislation on examination offenses. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh tabled the legislation around noon, though proceedings in the House were quickly adjourned following Opposition protests.
Ahead of the tabling, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to opposition parties to join the debate, warning that disrupting the session rather than participating in the discussion on a concrete anti-leak bill would send out a poor message.
But Congress MP Karti Chidambaram expressed worry about this law because he feels it is all about penalising and not stopping the leakage at the very onset.
Reports suggest that the governing NDA alliance will be putting forth a team of younger lawmakers to participate in the debate as part of their strategy for Generation Z. Expected speakers include Bansuri Swaraj and Tejasvi Surya from the BJP, alongside alliance and opposition voices such as Saayoni Ghosh and Mitali Bagh of the Trinamool Congress, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), Lalan Singh (JD(U)), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Sunil Tatkare (NCP), Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), and Arun Bharti (LJP-Ram Vilas). A debate lasting between 8 and 10 hours is anticipated. The other questions for today concern the Ministry of Education. Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, who has been given briefings by ministry officers, will be here for Question Hour.
The main Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act has come into effect from the year 2024. These new amendments toughen the current act as they provide for harsher punishment, fast-track courts, and a timeframe of two months to dispose of the case. According to the draft bill which was circulated to the Lok Sabha members, those people who have indulged in unfair means will be imprisoned for 5 to 10 years and fined an amount of up to ₹50 lakh. For offences where there is an involvement of organised syndicates, the act suggests a minimum jail term of 7 years, with a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to ₹10 crore.
On the other hand, the current 2024 Act entails punishments of three to five years for general offenses, and five to ten years along with a minimum fine of ₹1 crore for organised organisations. The revised Bill lists out fifteen kinds of illegal acts, which include leaking question papers, tampering of OMR sheets, running fraudulent websites, and issuing fake admit cards.
The legislative push follows intense public scrutiny and demonstrations in the capital over irregularities in the NEET examinations, a crisis that ultimately led to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In tandem with the Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a high-powered task force, chaired by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, tasked with overhauling India’s competitive examination architecture to restore public trust.
Also read: The undefeated power of non-violent protest in India
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