New Delhi: The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The Bill proposes stricter penalties, time-bound investigations and Special Fast Track Courts to curb cheating and paper leaks in public examinations. The anti-paper leak Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, and will now be sent to the President for assent.
In the Upper House, the Opposition MPs walked out before the Bill was passed.
Replying to the discussion in the House, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh highlighted various measures taken by the government in the education sector, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the increase in the number of universities across the country.
"This is an issue which concerns every parent of this country, every family of this country. These young children are a huge investment for the country," Singh said.
He said that around 7.65 crore students would be affected by measures aimed at strengthening the examination system.
"We have made very earnest efforts to liberate it from the management quota malice and tried to make medical education more accessible," he said. Singh also described the NEP 2020 as a "game changer" for the education system, saying it had provided students with greater freedom in choosing their educational paths.
"The biggest game changer of the education system is NEP 2020 as it has liberated students from the slavery of choices made by their parents, guardians and elders," he said.
He said it will reaffirm the government's commitment to protecting the welfare and interests of students and youth. He said that under the new legislation, investigations would have to be completed within two months, while trials would have to be concluded within three months of the filing of the charge sheet.
Singh termed paper leaks a serious issue and said several such incidents had been reported across different states under various state governments as well as previous Central governments.
He further said that the number of universities in the country had increased from 760 to 1,293 and that 400 Eklavya schools were operational across the country.
Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Bill, saying the government had made only "cosmetic changes" that would not be enough to prevent malpractices in public examinations.
Although the Congress supported the legislation, Kharge said it did not contain sufficiently strict provisions to guarantee transparent and paper-leak-free examinations. He claimed that the government was forced to act only after students voiced concerns over paper leaks, irregularities in examinations and institutional shortcomings. (ANI)
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