India’s Parliament has passed an amendment tightening the country’s anti-paper-leak law, months after the cancellation and re-conduct of the NEET medical entrance examination over an alleged leak triggered nationwide student protests.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 cleared the Lok Sabha by voice vote on 29 July and the Rajya Sabha the following day.
What does the amendment change?
It sharpens the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 rather than replacing it. The 2024 law set penalties of three to five years in prison for cheating and five to ten years for organised examination crime, with a minimum fine of one crore rupees.
Business Standard reported that Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, piloted the bill and said the government was open to suggestions from all quarters. The amendment shortens investigation timelines and raises maximum penalties.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Cabinet clearance | 24 July 2026 |
| Introduced in Lok Sabha | 27 July 2026 |
| Passed by Lok Sabha | 29 July 2026 |
| Passed by Rajya Sabha | 30 July 2026 |
What is the anti-paper-leak law in India?
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 is India’s first national law against organised cheating and question paper leaks in public examinations, covering tests conducted by bodies including the Union Public Service Commission, the Staff Selection Commission, the railways, banking recruiters and the National Testing Agency. It provides for three to five years in prison for cheating, five to ten years for organised examination crime, and a minimum fine of one crore rupees. Parliament passed an amendment to the Act on 30 July 2026, following the cancellation and re-conduct of the NEET undergraduate medical entrance examination in 2026 over an alleged paper leak, which prompted nationwide student protests and a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. The amendment was piloted by Union Minister Jitendra Singh and is intended to increase penalties and shorten investigation timelines.
What did the opposition argue?
Opposition members broadly supported stronger action on leaks while arguing that harsher penalties are not a substitute for reform of the bodies that run the examinations.
Several Rajya Sabha members called for the National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET, to be abolished. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam went further and urged the government to scrap the NEET examination itself.
The independent MP Kapil Sibal told the House that the protests were an igniting factor rather than the underlying issue, which he said concerned both the education system and the job market.
What else is unresolved?
The police response to the student protests remains contested. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into alleged police excesses and questioned why Home Minister Amit Shah has not addressed Parliament on the matter. The Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the allegations and called on him to apologise.
The government has separately established a task force on examination reform under the Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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