How anti-paper leak bill seeks to plug three gaps in the 2024 Act

The Lok Sabha is set to take up the Public Examinations Amendment Bill, 2026 after repeated disruptions over the NEET paper leak controversy. The proposed changes aim to speed up investigations and trials while sharply raising the cost of organised examination fraud.NEET UG paper leak: Three changes the anti-paper leak bill could make to the 2024 Act (Photo: Koustav Das)The Centre is seeking to shift India's anti-paper leak law from one that merely punishes offenders to one that promises quicker investigations and swifter justice.The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 on Tuesday, a proposal that plugs key gaps in the 2024 legislation by introducing fast-track courts, a dedicated investigative mechanism and time-bound trials, while retaining a tough stance on organised examination fraud.Introduced by Union Minister Jitendra Singh earlier in the session, the amendment bill remained pending as repeated Opposition protests disrupted House proceedings. The government is now expected to take it up once Parliament resumes legislative business.WHAT THE 2024 ACT PROVIDESThe Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was India's first central law against paper leaks and organised examination fraud. It covers examinations conducted by agencies such as the UPSC, NTA, SSC, Railway Recruitment Boards and other central authorities. The law prescribes three to five years' imprisonment for using unfair means in public examinations, while organised paper leak rackets can face five to 10 years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore. It also mandates security protocols and reporting of examination-related offences.However, the law does not provide for fast-track courts, a dedicated investigative mechanism or fixed timelines for trials, gaps that the proposed amendment seeks to address.WHAT THE 2026 AMENDMENT CHANGES The amendment seeks to strengthen the existing law by focusing not only on stricter punishment but also on faster enforcement.FAST-TRACK COURTSThe Bill proposes dedicated fast-track courts to exclusively hear cases related to public examination fraud. The 2024 law left such cases to be dealt with through the regular criminal justice system, often leading to delays.DEDICATED INVESTIGATIVE MECHANISMThe amendment also proposes a specialised investigative framework for paper leak cases. While the existing law empowers agencies to investigate offences, it does not provide a dedicated mechanism to deal with organised, multi-state examination fraud.TIME-BOUND TRIALSAnother key proposal is to introduce timelines for trials and judgments. The 2024 Act does not prescribe any statutory deadline for completing investigations or disposing of cases, resulting in the possibility of prolonged legal proceedings.TOUGHER PENALTIESThe amendment also seeks to raise the cost of organised examination fraud through enhanced penalties, including:Jail term of up to 10 years for those involved in organised paper leaks.Fine of up to Rs 10 crore for organised malpractice.Stronger provisions aimed at protecting the integrity of public examinations.WHY IT MATTERSThe proposed amendments come amid continuing concerns over recurring paper leak cases, with the NEET controversy once again raising questions about the credibility of India's public examination system.While the 2024 Act created the country's first dedicated legal framework against examination fraud, the 2026 amendment seeks to plug key enforcement gaps by ensuring faster investigations, speedier trials and stronger deterrence against organised paper leak networks. If passed, it would mark the most significant strengthening of India's anti-paper leak regime since the law was first enacted.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 09:50 IST