Centre introduces Bill in Lok Sabha to tighten anti-paper leak law

New Delhi, Jul 27: The Centre on Monday introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, proposing stricter measures to curb question paper leaks and expedite investigations, amid continuing political uproar over the NEET paper leak controversy.

The Bill was introduced by Union minister Jitendra Singh even as Opposition members staged protests in the House over the alleged police action against students during the CJP-led march to Parliament on July 20.

Soon after the Bill was tabled, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 2 pm as Opposition MPs continued to demand a statement from the government on the crackdown on protesting students.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, enacted two years ago, in the wake of the prolonged nationwide agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and other examination-related irregularities.

According to the amendment Bill, special fast-track courts will be established in every state to ensure speedy trial of those accused in paper leak and examination malpractice cases.

The Bill also proposes stricter punishment for offenders and mandates that investigations into paper leak cases be completed within two months, with the aim of ensuring quicker prosecution and reducing delays in delivering justice.

The move comes after weeks of nationwide protests by students demanding greater transparency and accountability in the conduct of competitive examinations, particularly following allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.

The government has maintained that strengthening the legal framework is necessary to safeguard the integrity of public examinations and deter organised examination fraud, while the Opposition has continued to criticise the Centre's handling of the NEET controversy and the police action against student protesters.