Government Seeks Stronger Punishment for Exam Fraud Through 2026 Amendment Bill
The Central government on Tuesday defended the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, saying the proposed changes are aimed at restoring the credibility of public examinations through stricter punishment, faster investigations and dedicated fast-track courts.
Presenting the Bill in the House, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the amendments significantly strengthen the existing law by increasing prison terms, raising financial penalties and introducing a time-bound mechanism for investigation and trial of examination fraud cases.
Government Says Amendment Will Restore Trust in Public Examinations
Explaining the rationale behind the legislation, Jitendra Singh said the government wanted to ensure that examination-related offences are dealt with swiftly and more effectively.
He told the Lok Sabha, “This amendment is being brought in to make the law more stringent and to ensure speedy justice so that the credibility of all these exams gets enhanced and gets reinstated…The Subsection 1 of Section 10 contained that any person or persons involved will be liable to a punishment not less than Rs 3-5 years and a fine up to Rs 10 lakhs. Under the amendment that is being brought today, the same duration of imprisonment has been made not less than 5-10 years and fine up to Rs 50 lakhs. In the 2024 Act, the punishment of the service provider was fine up to Rs 1 crore. Now it is being increased to Rs 5 crore. It was also written in the law of 2024 that the provider will be barred from conducting any exam for the next 4 years. Today, that period is being increased to 8 years under this amendment… Finally the organized crime committers where there is a mafia gang found, in that case the imprisonment earlier was 5-10 years. It’s been increased to 7-10 years and the fine was earlier up to Rs 1 crore. It is now proposed to be increased to Rs 10 crore. And the most important thing which the Prime Minister also mentioned through the video is to ensure speedy justice. We will have special fast track courts established only for the cases dealing with unfair means in examinations… We have set a time limit in that also. The investigation has to be completed within a span of 2 months regardless of whether it is a central agency or a special task force…”
Key Changes Proposed in the Bill
According to the government, the amendment proposes:
- Jail term increased from 3–5 years to 5–10 years for those involved in examination fraud.
- Maximum fine raised from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh.
- Penalty on service providers increased from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore.
- Debarment of service providers extended from 4 years to 8 years.
- Organised examination fraud syndicates could face 7–10 years’ imprisonment and fines of up to ₹10 crore.
- Dedicated fast-track courts will hear examination fraud cases.
- Investigations must be completed within two months, irrespective of whether they are conducted by a central agency or a special task force.
Focus on Faster Justice
The Centre maintained that the proposed legislation is designed to strengthen public confidence in recruitment and entrance examinations by ensuring tougher legal consequences for offenders while expediting investigations and judicial proceedings.
