Parliament Passes Bill Imposing Stricter Penalties for Exam Paper Leaks
Introduced by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, the newly passed legislation establishes stricter punishments for paper leaks and empowers fast-track courts.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament continues with legislative business in the Lok Sabha, where Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. Concurrently, the Supreme Court of India is hosting the SAMADHAN SAMAROH 2026 event, and its official API portal remains accessible at api.sci.gov.in.
Parliament has passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha clearing the legislation by voice vote on Thursday night after the Lok Sabha approved it a day earlier amid an Opposition walkout (Indian Express). The amended law prescribes a jail term of five to ten years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh for individuals involved in paper leaks or examination malpractice. For organised paper leak rackets, the statute sets a minimum jail term of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore (Indian Express).
The legislation empowers states and Union Territories to designate Sessions Courts as special fast-track courts to hear offences under the Act and mandates day-to-day hearings with the aim of completing trials within three months of the filing of the charge sheet (Indian Express). Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh had introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha earlier in the session (PIB). Shortly after the Rajya Sabha passage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a late-night video message stating that comprehensive reforms to the education system were necessary to tackle the menace of paper leaks, which he said had threatened the future of students for years, and that the government was working towards building a robust, technology-driven examination system (Indian Express).
As the Monsoon Session enters its tenth day on Friday, legislative business in the Lower House is expected to shift to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is likely to move for consideration (Indian Express). Home Minister Amit Shah is also slated to move the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, while the House will take up the Joint Committee’s report on the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Indian Express).
Concurrently, the Supreme Court of India is hosting the SAMADHAN SAMAROH 2026 event, and its official API portal remains accessible at api.sci.gov.in (supreme_court-response).
Indian Express·PIB·Supreme Court