Parliament to Debate Stricter Anti-Paper Leak Bill Today

The Union government is set to introduce a Bill in the Lok Sabha today that seeks to amend the existing law against examination malpractices, including paper leaks. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, is expected to be tabled by Union Minister Jitendra Singh around noon.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has urged all political parties to participate in the discussion. “Today, a concrete Bill is being brought against exam paper leaks. We want all parties to take part in the discussion. If you do not participate and cause a ruckus instead, it will not send out a good message,” he said.

The Bill proposes stricter penalties compared to the existing 2024 Act. Key provisions include a minimum of five years and up to ten years of imprisonment for those involved in unfair means, along with a fine of up to ₹50 lakh. For organised crimes, the Bill proposes a minimum of seven years in jail and fines up to ₹10 crore. The current law prescribes three to five years for individuals and five to ten years for organised syndicates.

The Bill also mandates the establishment of fast-track courts for speedy trials and sets a two-month timeline for disposing of such cases. It identifies 15 illegal acts, including leaking question papers, tampering with OMR sheets, creating fake websites, and issuing fake admit cards.

The legislative move follows widespread protests over the NEET paper leak, which led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The government has been under pressure to reform examination systems. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to overhaul examination processes.

Sources indicate that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) plans to field young Members of Parliament to speak on the Bill, including Bansuri Swaraj and Tejasvi Surya from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Saayoni Ghosh and Mitali Bagh from the Trinamool Congress, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu from the Telugu Desam Party, Lalan Singh from the Janata Dal (United), Shrikant Shinde from the Shiv Sena, Sunil Tatkare from the Nationalist Congress Party, Anupriya Patel from the Apna Dal, and Arun Bharti from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). A debate lasting 8 to 10 hours is expected.

Questions related to the Ministry of Education are also scheduled during Question Hour today. Newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has been briefed by officials and will be present in the House.