The Lok Sabha will resume discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, today. Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, moved the Bill for consideration and passing in the House yesterday.
The Bill seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. It incorporates several significant provisions, including stringent penalties such as imprisonment for up to ten years, fines of up to ten crore rupees and seizure of the properties of convicted offenders.
To ensure expeditious disposal of cases, the legislation mandates every State Government and Union Territory Administration to establish Special Fast Track Courts for day-to-day trials. It further provides that investigations into offences must be completed within two months from the date the information is recorded at the police station. Trials must be concluded within three months from the filing of the chargesheet.
Moving the Bill, Dr Jitendra Singh said the new legislation reaffirms the government’s deep commitment to safeguarding the welfare of the students and youth of the country. He said it also reiterates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve not to allow anyone to compromise the future of the youth. Listing a series of paper leaks that occurred during the Congress and UPA era, Dr Singh said there was no comprehensive law to tackle such cases. He said the Modi Government brought the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to ensure speedy justice.
Participating in the discussion, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused the government of not being serious about the education sector.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj termed the legislation a transformative step and said such legislation is the need of the hour to ensure fair and transparent examinations. She said the examination mafia has become organised and evolved into a cross-state criminal network. Ms Swaraj said the Bill mandates every State and Union Territory to establish Special Fast Track Courts for speedy trials.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav expressed concern over paper leaks in various examinations. Mr Yadav said the NEET UG paper was leaked this year despite the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act being made in 2024.
Abhishek Banerjee of AITC, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu of TDP and Dr Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena supported the Bill. The TDP MP also called for decentralised question paper-setting committees.
Dayanidhi Maran of DMK asserted that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the core issue, which is not uniform and is against students.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of failing to protect the interests of students and weakening the education system. She added that the youth had come out to protest to restore their faith in the education system and seek accountability. She also levelled allegations against newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, which led to a heated exchange in the Lok Sabha. Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Kiren Rijiju asked her to authenticate her remarks or apologise to the House.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said students want a system that protects their future and not politics. He said a fair examination is the only gateway to opportunity for crores of families.
Other members, including NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav, BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Shashank Mani, Congress MP KC Venugopal, S Venkatesan of CPI(M), Gurumoorthy Maddila of YSRCP, RJD’s Abhay Kumar Sinha, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and Harsimrat Kaur Badal of SAD, also participated in the discussion.
The discussion remained inconclusive. Presiding Officer Sandhya Ray adjourned the House to meet at 11 AM today.
