Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today said that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 is a significant step towards further strengthening the legal framework to curb examination-related malpractices and protect the interests of students and youth across the country.

Initiating the discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the legislation reaffirms the Government's commitment to safeguarding the future of students and reflects Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's resolve to ensure that no one is allowed to compromise with the aspirations of the country's youth. He described the legislation as a milestone in strengthening the integrity of India's public examination system.

The Minister said incidents of question paper leakages and examination-related malpractices have occurred across different States over the years, highlighting the need for a comprehensive national legal framework. He noted that the Government enacted the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 as the country's first comprehensive legislation to deal with unfair means in public examinations and is now proposing further amendments based on the experience gained during its implementation to make the law more stringent and effective.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Act covers examinations conducted by major recruitment agencies, including the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), as well as the National Testing Agency (NTA) for higher education admissions. He recalled that the 2024 Act made offences under its ambit cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable with stringent penal provisions.

Highlighting the key provisions of the Amendment Bill, the Minister said the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means is proposed to be enhanced from imprisonment of three to five years to five to ten years, while the maximum fine is proposed to be increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh. For service providers involved in such offences, the maximum fine is proposed to be increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore and the period of debarment from conducting public examinations from four years to eight years. Punishment for directors and senior management of service providers is also proposed to be enhanced from three to ten years' imprisonment to five to ten years, with the maximum fine being increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore. The Bill further proposes to increase the punishment for organised crime from five to ten years' imprisonment to seven to ten years and enhance the maximum fine from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore.

Emphasising the importance of speedy justice, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Amendment Bill provides for the establishment of Special Fast Track Courts to deal with offences relating to public examinations. He said the Bill envisages completion of investigation within two months and completion of trial within three months from the date of filing of the charge sheet, ensuring expeditious disposal of such cases. The Bill also empowers the Central Government to refer investigation of offences under the Act to a Special Task Force constituted for the purpose, thereby enabling swift and effective action against organised examination-related crimes.

The Minister informed the House that the Government has already initiated steps for establishment of Special Fast Track Courts in several locations to facilitate speedy disposal of such cases. He also referred to the Prime Minister's announcement of a high-level task force comprising eminent experts to make the public examination system "leak-proof". He added that substantial progress has already been made in implementing the recommendations of the committee constituted to strengthen the examination ecosystem. He said the objective of the amendments is to ensure that students are rewarded for their genuine efforts while enhancing the credibility, transparency and fairness of public examinations.

Concluding his remarks, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the proposed amendments would reinforce deterrence against organised examination-related crimes, ensure speedy justice and further strengthen public confidence in the integrity, transparency and fairness of the country's public examination system.

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