Cabinet clears Bill proposing up to 10-year jail, ₹10 crore fine for paper leaks

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft Bill proposing tougher penalties for paper leaks, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to ₹10 crore for organised exam fraud, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister at the Parliament House complex, according to PTI. The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen the existing legal framework by amending the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Under the proposed amendments, individuals found guilty of leaking question papers will face a minimum prison term of five years, along with a fine.

In cases involving organised paper leak rackets, the punishment could extend to 10 years' imprisonment and a maximum fine of ₹10 crore.

The present law has provisions for three to five years’ imprisonment for individuals, and five to 10 years’ imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore for those involved in the organised crime of cheating and paper leaks.

The bill is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that indulge in unfair means for monetary gains, while protecting the candidates from its provisions.

The existing law is aimed at curbing leaks, malpractices as well as organised malpractices in recruitment examinations like UPSC, SSC, etc., and entrance tests such as NEET, JEE, and CUET.

The amended bill is likely to come up in Parliament on Monday as announced by Prime Minister Modi in a video message issued around midnight on Thursday. In the message, Modi announced that a bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.

The announcement came in the wake of the ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability for exam irregularities, reforms in the education system, and ₹1 crore compensation to families of those students who committed suicide after the NEET-UG paper leak in May.

However, the entire Cabinet is standing behind Pradhan, and the government is unlikely to agree to the opposition’s demand for his resignation.

The opposition is also seeking an apology from the prime minister for the alleged police brutality against the CJP-led protesters, who took out a march to Parliament on July 20 to press their demands.

The government is also taking up all issues linked to reforms within the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, for medical admissions, and is likely to iron them out in a month or two.

'The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024' was the first such law brought by the present government in 2024 after a raging debate over paper leaks.

Even though an education policy brought by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi talked about bringing a law to check paper leaks and the use of unfair means in examinations, no previous Congress government introduced a law in this regard.