Rajya Sabha clears anti-paper leak Bill with tougher penalties for exam fraud
The legislation amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and comes in the wake of the nationwide controversy over the alleged leak of NEET-UG question paper, which has intensified concerns over the integrity of India’s public examination system.
The bill, now passed by both Houses of Parliament, will be sent to the President for his approval before becoming law.
Also Read: Lok Sabha passes anti-paper leakage bill to tighten penalties for exam fraud
The bill was passed amid protests in the Upper House. Following repeated demands for talks under Rule 267 on the alleged use of force against protesting students and the rejection of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s reply by the President, many Opposition parties staged a walkout ahead of its discussion. The Rajya Sabha witnessed many delays on the issue before introducing the law.
The amended legislation aims to impose tougher penalties on people who compromise public examinations, including organized cheating organizations and organizations that facilitate malpractices.
The bill significantly increases penalties for exam-related offenses. For those found guilty of exam fraud, the minimum prison sentence will be increased from three to five years, while the maximum fine will increase from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. The changes will also tighten penalties for companies and institutions involved in the running of public exams, including those that manage exam centres, provide technology support and deal with logistics.
Also Read: Rajya Sabha allocates 7 hours for discussion on anti-paper leak bill
Such organizations can now face fines of up to R1 billion, reimbursement of costs of conducting the exam and being banned from taking part in public exams for four years. According to the bill, the maximum fine on these service providers will be increased five-fold to Rs 5 billion, while the suspension period will be doubled to eight years.
