Imphal: The passage of a bill to amend the anti-paper leak law to introduce stricter punishments is a landmark step towards building a credible examination system and will protect students' aspirations, Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh said.
The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was cleared in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote amid a walkout by several Opposition parties from the India bloc. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on Wednesday.
In a post on social media late on Thursday night, Singh termed the passage of the bill "a landmark step towards a fair, transparent, and credible examination system".
"This reform strengthens the integrity of examinations and protects the aspirations of millions of students," he said, adding that India continues to strengthen its education ecosystem under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the amended 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, the Bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of not less than Rs 10 crore.
The amendment bill seeks to empower all state governments and Union Territory administrations to designate any court of session to be a special fast-track court to try offences under the proposed law.
It also provides that proceedings in such courts are continued on a day-to-day basis and the trial is completed within three months from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
The Bill also empowers the central government to constitute a special task force to investigate offences.
The 2024 law was brought in when the government faced raging paper leak controversies. Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
