Parliament on Thursday gave its approval to a bill to amend the anti-paper leak law, prescribing stricter punishment, with the government saying it is proceeding on the major issues affecting students and sought cooperation from all sections to deal with the problem.
The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was cleared by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha amid Opposition walkout, a day after it was passed by the Lok Sabha.
According to the bill, individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
For organised crimes, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.
The amendment bill seeks to empower all the state governments and Union Territories administrations to designate any court of session to be a special fast-track court to try offences under the proposed law.
It also provides that the proceedings in such courts are continued on a day-to-day basis and the trial is completed within three months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
The bill also empowers the central government to constitute a special task force for investigation of any offence, if necessary.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
