Parliament on Thursday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, after the Rajya Sabha approved it by voice vote despite a walkout by Opposition parties led by the Congress. The Lok Sabha had cleared the bill a day earlier.
The government said the amended legislation introduces tougher penalties for paper leaks and is intended to tackle a major concern affecting students while seeking support from all stakeholders.
With the Rajya Sabha's approval, Parliament has now completed the legislative process for the bill.
Under the amended law, those found guilty of paper leaks or using unfair means in public examinations will face imprisonment of five to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. Organised paper leak rackets will attract a minimum prison term of seven years and fines of up to Rs 10 crore.
The legislation also authorises state governments and Union Territory administrations to designate any Court of Session as a special fast-track court for trying offences under the Act. It requires these courts to conduct hearings on a day-to-day basis and complete trials within three months of the filing of the charge sheet.
Additionally, the bill allows the central government to set up a special task force to investigate offences under the law whenever necessary.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a walkout by Congress and several other Opposition parties shortly before the bill was passed. The protest came after BJP MP Kavita Patidar concluded the day's debate on the legislation.
When Chairman CP Radhakrishnan invited Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh to reply to the discussion, Congress MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader of the Opposition Pramod Tiwari demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah be present in the House.
"We talked about sticks, we talked about bullets. We had hoped that Home Minister Amit Shah would attend before the discussion concluded, but he has not come," Tiwari said.
Radhakrishnan declined the request and asked Singh to continue with his reply, prompting the Congress and some other Opposition parties to stage a walkout.
Leader of the House JP Nadda criticised the Opposition's decision, saying it reflected that they had "lost the issue".
"The discussion lasted nearly eight hours. Every member was given an opportunity to speak, and the Opposition listened to all the arguments. But when the minister rose to respond, Tiwari objected. This is irresponsible conduct. That is why I said they have no interest in the discussion," Nadda said.
He further alleged that the Opposition had "no respect for democracy and parliamentary procedures."
Earlier during the debate, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah from the House despite what he described as widespread unrest across the country.
Kharge also blamed Shah for the alleged police action against protesting students and said that "Jan Shakti" (people's power) would one day "drag him out" to hold him accountable.
