Union Cabinet Approves Anti-Paper Leak Bill, Check Details Here

The Union Cabinet passed an Anti-Paper Leak Bill to enhance the penalty provisions along with additional safeguards in order to curb the malpractice involved in cheating in exams on July 24, 2026. This legislation is set to be introduced in Parliament in the second week of the Monsoon session and its intent is to address the various unfair means like paper leakage, impersonation, or accessing of question papers that have caused huge disruptions in the national public recruitments and entrance exams, especially NEET.  

In continuation of the provisions made in the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the proposed law increases the minimum period of imprisonment to five years, while also increasing the maximum imprisonment period to ten years and fines can go up to ₹10 crores depending upon the severity of the offense. Moreover, provisions related to the creation of fast-track courts to deal with these cases within three months are also included in the bill. In addition to the enhanced provisions for punishment, stringent measures for physical and digital exam security involving encryption of question papers, sealed transportation of papers, biometric verifications, and real-time monitoring of the process are also enforced by the government.

Key Highlights & Proposed Provisions

Anti-Paper Leak Bill: Background & Next Steps

• Legislative Basis: The legislative draft is based on the Public Examination Act 2024 that enjoys legal immunity from any examination malpractice.

• Need for NEET Exam Leak: With respect to the large-scale demonstrations on the issue of paper leaks, particularly the entrance examination NEET-UG, there was an immediate necessity for enacting this legislation.

• No Such Legislation Till Date: There was no legislation in India that had any provision to deal with the organised syndicate behind paper leakage.

• Discussion in Parliament: After cabinet approval, the legislative draft will be discussed in parliament in the ongoing monsoon session.

• Discussion, Debate and Voting: The discussion, debate on provisions, amendment of the bill, voting and such processes have to be followed for passage of the bill in both Houses of Parliament.

• Approval by President: Presidential assent will be required to make this act a law after its passage from Parliament.

• Disposal of Cases: It is the plan of the government to form fast-track courts to dispose of cases within a three-month period.