INDIA 🔗 Part of: India Education Reforms and Paper Leak Protests (8) · 27 Jul 2026 · 06:50 GMT ·2 min read

India Targets Exam Fraud with New Amendment Bill

The Indian government will introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, to Parliament on June 15, 2026.

NEUTRALITY 85 · BALANCED· 3 sources

Indian Express India

The Indian government will introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026, to Parliament on June 15, 2026. The bill sets prison sentences for individuals at 5 to 10 years. Fines for organized crime reach INR 1 crore (USD 1.2 million USD). Minister Kiren Rijiju urged a priority debate on June 15, 2026. This follows student protests over the May 2026 NEET-UG paper leak. The bill mandates fast-track courts and a Special Task Force. Investigations must conclude within two months and trials within three months.

Context

The government introduced a legislative proposal after student protests erupted over the NEET-UG paper leak in May 2026. The Education Minister resigned following the public outcry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government intends to strengthen examination security.

Supportive perspectives

The amendment raises prison sentences for individuals using unfair means from 3-to-5 years to 5-to-10 years. Legislators increased the individual fine from 10 lakh rupees (1 million) to 50 lakh rupees (5 million).
The proposed law increases the minimum fine for organized crime in public examinations from 1 crore rupees (10 million) to 10 crore rupees (100 million). The bill also raises the minimum prison term for these offenses from five to seven years.
Minister of State Jitendra Singh announced the amendments to improve public examination credibility. He stated the changes ensure time-bound investigations.
The bill requires a Special Task Force to investigate allegations of unfair practices within two months. This deadline targets delays common in complex fraud investigations.
The legislation establishes special fast-track courts for public examination offenses. These courts must conclude trials within 3 months of the charge sheet filing.

Critical perspectives

Student protesters demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The legislative change does not address this demand.
The bill mandates that trials in special fast-track courts conclude within three months of the chargesheet filing. The Act will transfer pending cases from regular courts to these new venues upon its effective date.
The proposed amendments emphasize penalties for exam fraud. The bill lacks provisions to prevent leaks before they happen. A leak of the NEET-UG exam occurred in May 2026. The current proposal does not address the security failures that enabled that event.
The Act applies to examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), and the National Testing Agency (NTA). Enforcement protocols will differ between these agencies.