Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh Introduces the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha

Dr. Jitendra Singh introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha to strengthen provisions against unfair means and organised malpractices in public examinations. The proposed amendments include enhanced punishment for persons resorting to unfair means, service providers, and managerial personnel. The maximum fine is also proposed to be increased.

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Quick Revision

Prelims-testable facts

01The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was enacted to prevent people from resorting to unfair means in public exams.
02The proposed amendments aim to further strengthen the provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
03The Bill proposes to enhance the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means by increasing the term of imprisonment to not less than five years, extendable up to ten years.
04The maximum fine is proposed to be enhanced from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
05For service providers found involved in offences under the Act, the Bill proposes to increase the maximum fine from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore.
06The period of debarment for conducting any public examination is proposed to be increased from four years to eight years for service providers found guilty.

Trap alerts

Most people think the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was enacted solely in response to recent incidents of question paper leakages, but actually it was enacted to prevent unfair means in public exams in general.
Most people think the proposed amendments only aim to increase punishment for individuals involved in exam malpractice, but actually they also aim to strengthen the investigation and trial process.

Prelims Practice MCQs

Single facteasy

What is the proposed minimum imprisonment term for persons resorting to unfair means in public examinations?

A.Not less than 3 years
B.Not less than 5 years
C.Not more than 2 years
D.Not more than 1 year

The proposed amendments aim to enhance punishment for unfair means, with a minimum imprisonment term of not less than 5 years.

Multiple statementsmedium

Consider the following statements regarding Punishment for Unfair Means: 1. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 proposes to increase the term of imprisonment to not less than five years. 2. The maximum fine proposed under the Bill is ₹50 lakh for persons resorting to unfair means. 3. The Bill also proposes to make managerial personnel liable for a maximum fine of ₹10 crore. How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None

Statement 1 is correct because the fact list states that the Bill proposes to enhance the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means by increasing the term of imprisonment to not less than five years. Statement 2 is correct because it mentions a figure mentioned in the fact list (₹50 lakh). However, statement 3 is incorrect because the maximum fine proposed for managerial personnel under the Bill is ₹5 crore, not ₹10 crore.

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