Centre introduces new anti-paper leak bill in Lok Sabha after nationwide protests

The Union government on Monday introduced a bill to amend the anti-paper leak law in the wake of nationwide protests against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

The 2026 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Amendment Bill was introduced by Union minister Jitendra Singh as Opposition MPs shouted slogans criticising the police for using excessive force against protesters in Delhi on July 20.

Subsequently, the House was adjourned till 5 pm.

What does the bill say?

The legislation proposes imprisonment of five to ten years for individuals found using unfair means in public examinations. The maximum fine for such persons would increase from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

If instances of paper leaks or other offences listed under the bill are found to be organised, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.

A total of 15 illegal acts, including leaking question papers, tampering with optical mark recognition sheets, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards, have been listed as offences under the bill, reported The Indian Express.

Optical Mark Recognition is a system that reads answers marked by candidates by detecting filled bubbles or marks on an answer sheet.

One of the key provisions of the bill empowers the Union government to set up a Special Task Force to investigate offences of...

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