NEW DELHI: Parliament on Thursday approved a bill to amend the anti-paper leak law, prescribing stricter punishment, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying an important step towards building a credible exam system has been taken.In a selfie-video message, the Prime Minister asserted that gangs behind exam paper leaks, which play with the future of students, will not be spared, and stringent laws are needed to deal with them. “Our work will continue and we will not allow this situation to persist for long,” he said.For the past many decades every state govt and the Centre have faced this menace of paper leaks, which is posing a crisis for students, the PM said about the bill that proposes a longer jail term and steeper fine. “It has become necessary to bring reforms in the education system in all states and at the Centre,” Modi said, asking the youth to work together with govt to fulfil the dream of a developed India.His government, he said, has taken a series of steps for reforming the exam system, be it forming a task force, constituting fast-track courts or taking into consideration the views of states. Optimal use of technology is necessary, he added.Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was cleared by voice vote in RS amid a walkout by a large section of the opposition, a day after it was passed by LS. This will become a law after the President’s assent.Replying to the discussion on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Union minister Jitendra Singh highlighted measures taken by govt in the education sector, including NEP-2020 and an increase in the number of universities.Earlier in the day, Singh had told the Upper House that the bill testifies the govt does not stand on prestige and is open to healthy inputs. “We are open to constructive suggestions from all quarters, and that’s exactly the reason why, in the wake of the recent sequence of events, the PM lost no time to declare that nobody will be allowed to jeopardise the future of our children and also announced the resolve of zero tolerance to paper leaks,” he said.
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According to the bill, individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. For organised crimes, it proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore. The bill also seeks to empower all state govts and UT administrations to designate any court of session as a special fast-track court to try offences under the proposed law.The bill also empowers the central govt to constitute a special task force for the investigation of any offence, if necessary.
