Public Examinations Amendment Bill 2026 Introduced in Lok Sabha

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2026, proposing a significant hardening of penalties and the creation of dedicated judicial infrastructure to combat paper leaks (The Hindu). The legislation seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which governs examinations conducted by bodies including the Union Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, Railway Recruitment Boards, Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, National Testing Agency, and central government ministries (PRS India).

The Bill arrives weeks after the cancellation and re-conduct of NEET 2026 following an alleged paper leak, an episode that triggered widespread student protests and culminated in the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (The Hindu). The Statement of Objects and Reasons cites the need to strengthen fairness, enhance credibility, and facilitate time-bound investigation and speedy trial (PRS India).

Under the proposed changes, the maximum imprisonment for individuals convicted of unfair means doubles from five years to ten years, while the maximum fine rises from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh (The Hindu). For directors, senior management personnel, and officials found colluding in leaks, the maximum jail term increases from three years to five years (The Hindu). Penalties for organised offences see the maximum imprisonment raised from five years to seven years, with fines escalating sharply from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore (The Hindu). Service providers engaging in unfair means face an extended debarment period, doubled from four years to eight years (PRS India).

Investigation procedures are restructured. While the 2024 Act required an officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police or Assistant Commissioner of Police rank to investigate, and allowed the Centre to refer cases to central agencies, the Bill empowers the central government to constitute a Special Task Force for investigations (PRS India). A strict two-month deadline for completing investigations is introduced (PRS India).

The judicial framework undergoes a parallel overhaul. Every state and Union Territory must designate a Court of Session as a Special Fast Track Court to try offences under the Act, including connected offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, or other laws in a single trial (PRS India). States and UTs must appoint one or more special public prosecutors for each such court, and all pending cases transfer automatically to these courts (PRS India). Trials must proceed on a day-to-day basis until all attending witnesses are examined, with adjournments beyond the following day permitted only after recording written reasons (PRS India). Trials must conclude within three months of the chargesheet filing; transferred pending cases must finish within three months of transfer (PRS India).

Appellate timelines are similarly compressed. Appeals against judgments, sentences, or orders of the Special Fast Track Courts will lie before a two-judge High Court bench, to be disposed of within three months of admission where possible (PRS India). Appeals against bail orders also go to the High Court. Appeals must be filed within 30 days, with a maximum extendable limit of 90 days for sufficient cause (PRS India).

The Bill does not specify a date for its consideration or passage in Parliament.