New Delhi: The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, passed in the Lok Sabha Wednesday, proposes stricter punishment.
The legislation aims at effectively deterring persons, organised groups and institutions from indulging in unfair means, thereby committing offences, adversely impacting the sanctity of public examinations.
Here are salient features of the Bill which amends a 2024 law:
- Empowers all state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations to designate any sessions court to be a special fast-track court to try offences under the proposed law.
- To provide that the proceedings in such Special Fast Track Courts are continued on day-to-day basis and the trial be completed within a period of three months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
- To empower the central government to also constitute special task force for investigation of any offence.
- To provide that the investigations for offences under the legislation are completed within a period of two months.
- To empower all state governments and UT administrations to appoint one or more special public prosecutors for conduct of cases under the legislation.
- To provide for appeal mechanism as against any judgment, sentence or order to a bench of two judges of the High Court, and for disposal of the same within a period of three months from the date of admission of appeal.
- Under the new law, individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
- For organised crimes, the Bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.
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The 2024 law was brought when the government was faced with raging paper leak controversies. Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
The law aims to prevent unfair means in the public examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the railways, banking recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA) among others.
PTI
