In a major move to strengthen the integrity of public examinations, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes stricter penalties, faster investigations and dedicated courts to deal with paper leak cases.
The legislation, commonly referred to as the Anti-Paper Leak Bill, was passed despite a walkout by Opposition parties. The government said the amendments are intended to tackle organised examination fraud more effectively and restore confidence in recruitment and competitive examinations.
To prevent prolonged delays, the Bill introduces mandatory deadlines for investigations. Police and investigating agencies will be required to complete inquiries within two months. The same timeline will apply if a case is handed over to a Central investigating agency or a Special Task Force constituted by the Union government.
The legislation also authorises the Centre to establish Special Task Forces to investigate complex or large-scale examination fraud cases whenever necessary.
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