Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026
Recently, the Indian Parliament has passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
The Bill seeks to amend the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to curb paper leaks, organized examination fraud, and technology-enabled malpractices.
Key Amendments
- Computer-Based Tests (CBTs)
- Includes CBTs withing the definition of public examinations, extending statutory protection against unfair means to digital examinations.
- Special Task Force (STF)
- Empowers the Central Government to constitute a specialized STF for investigating examination frauds, with investigation to be completed within 60 days.
- Mandatory Fast-Track Courts
- Mandates every State and Union Territory, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, to designate Special Fast-Track Courts for day-to-day trial of offences under the act.
- Time Bound Justice
- Requires completion of trials within 3 months of filing the chargesheet. Appeals must be filed within 30 days (extendable up to 90 days) and disposed of by a two judge high court bench within 3 months.
- Extended Vendor Debarment
- Increases the debarment period for guilty examination service providers from 4 years to 8 years.
- Asset Confiscation
- Enables attachment and confiscation of movable and immovable property acquired through organized examination fraud.
- Institutional Accountability
- Strengthens the liability of examination authorities, private vendors, and officials involved in organized examination malpractice.
Major Changes Over the 2024 Act
- Individual Using Unfair Means
- Punishment enhanced from 3-5 years imprisonment and fine up to ₹10 lakh to 5-10 year imprisonment and fine up to ₹50 lakh.
- Organized Examination Crimes
- Minimum imprisonment increased from 5 years to 7 years, while the minimum fine rises from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore.
- Service Providers
- Maximum penalty increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore, along with recovery of examination costs and extension of debarment from 4 years to 8 years.
About the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024
- It is India's first dedicated central legislation to curb paper leaks and organized examination malpractices, ensuring fair, transparent and credible public examinations.
- Objective
- To prevent paper leaks, organized cheating, impersonation and other unfair means in public examinations.
- Coverage
- Applies to examinations conducted by UPSC, SSC, NTA, RRBs, IBPS and other notified public authorities.
- Nature of Offences
- Offences are cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.