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The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha, proposes to raise the punishment for individuals resorting to unfair means from 3-5 years' imprisonment to 5-10 years, and the maximum fine from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh.
For service providers, the maximum fine rises from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore and the debarment period from 4 to 8 years; punishment for their directors/senior management rises to 5-10 years (from 3-10 years), with fines up to ₹5 crore (from ₹1 crore).
Punishment for organised examination crime rises from 5-10 years to 7-10 years' imprisonment, with the maximum fine increased from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore.
The Bill provides for Special Fast Track Courts, mandating investigation completion within two months and trial within three months of chargesheet filing, and empowers the Centre to refer cases to a Special Task Force.
First comprehensive national law to curb question-paper leaks and exam malpractice
Key: Covers UPSC, SSC, RRBs, IBPS, NTA; offences cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable
Strengthen the 2024 Act based on implementation experience
Key: Enhanced punishments/fines across all offender categories; Special Fast Track Courts; 2-month investigation + 3-month trial timelines; Special Task Force referral power
The base Act being amended; enacted 12 Feb 2024, in force from 21 June 2024, covering UPSC/SSC/RRBs/IBPS/NTA exams
A cognizable offence lets police arrest without a warrant and start investigation on their own; non-bailable means bail is not a matter of right and is at a court's discretion; non-compoundable means the case cannot be privately settled or withdrawn between the parties, even if the accused compensates the victim. Together, these three features signal that Parliament treats exam malpractice as a serious offence against the public interest, not a private dispute
Simple Analogy: It is the legal equivalent of an offence the state itself prosecutes and will not let the two sides simply 'settle out of court'
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Examination Integrity Legislation
Recent — the Amendment Bill is newly introduced in this Parliament session
Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — India's first comprehensive anti-cheating law for public examinations