New Parliament Building, New Delhi. Photo: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs / PIB (GODL-India)
The Lok Sabha debated the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, today, after it was moved by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
The bill amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and proposes seven key changes intended to strengthen anti-paper-leak laws.
Under one of the proposed changes, state governments and Union Territory administrations would be able to designate any Court of Session as a Special Fast Track Court for offences under the Act.
These courts would be required to hold day-to-day proceedings, completing trials within three months of the chargesheet being filed.
Singh described the bill as milestone legislation, noting the 2024 Act was the first of its kind in independent India to tackle exam fraud specifically.
The debate ran from the afternoon into the evening, with the bill’s passage now expected on Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha’s discussion on the bill formed part of a wider day of parliamentary business during the ongoing Monsoon Session, with the Rajya Sabha separately taking up unrelated legislation on the same day.
Government officials have described the amendment as building on recommendations from an expert committee that reviewed gaps in the 2024 law following continued instances of examination malpractice across states.
The debate in the Lok Sabha took place against the backdrop of continuing protests and disruptions in Parliament over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, which had dominated much of the Monsoon Session’s proceedings in the preceding days.
The 2024 Act that the current bill seeks to amend had itself been introduced following a series of high-profile examination paper leaks that affected recruitment and entrance tests across multiple states and central agencies.
Once passed, the amended law would apply to public examinations conducted by central government agencies as well as those falling under the ambit of the original 2024 legislation, extending the reach of the fast-track court provisions nationally.
(Image: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs / PIB (GODL-India))
