Anti-paper leak bill in Parliament today, young MPs to lead 10-hour discussion

The Centre will introduce the Public Examinations Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday after weeks of protests over the NEET paper leak. The proposed changes raise penalties, set up fast-track courts and come as the Opposition readies questions on the leak and the protest crackdown.

In Short

• Government to introduce Public Examinations Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha
• Bill proposes fast-track courts and two-month probe for paper leak cases
• Punishment enhanced to 10 years jail and fines up to Rs 50 lakh for offenders

The government is set to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with the NDA deploying young MPs to spearhead an expected eight-to-10-hour discussion on the legislation aimed at tightening the law following the nationwide uproar over the NEET paper leak.

The proposed legislation, which comes weeks after nationwide anti-leak protests, seeks to establish fast-track courts in every state to exclusively hear paper leak cases and mandates that investigations be completed within two months.

It also significantly enhances punishment for offenders, prescribing imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 50 lakh for individuals found guilty of leaking examination papers.

Organised paper leak syndicates could face penalties of up to Rs 10 crore.

The Bill will be introduced by Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh.

According to parliamentary sources, the legislation is expected to be debated for eight to 10 hours, with the NDA fielding Bansuri Swaraj and Tejasvi Surya to lead the discussion.

Other NDA speakers are likely to include Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu of the TDP, JD(U)'s Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, NCP's Sunil Tatkare, Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)'s Arun Bharti.

Trinamool Congress MPs Sayoni Ghosh and Mitali Bag are also expected to participate in the debate.

Monday will also mark the first Question Hour for newly-appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, who replaced Dharmendra Pradhan after the latter resigned on July 25 amid mounting pressure.

Questions related to the Education Ministry are listed for discussion in the Lok Sabha, with officials having briefed the minister ahead of the session.

The Bill comes against the backdrop of a massive nationwide agitation against the NEET paper leak led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 20 and gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite fast on June 28.

The movement reached a flashpoint on July 20, when police stopped protesters marching towards Parliament. The action sparked allegations of excessive force, including claims that pellet guns were used against students.

Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns during the protest, while the CRPF has not publicly responded to allegations involving the Rapid Action Force.

The 36-day agitation ended on Saturday after the government accepted several key demands of the protesters, including the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

- Ends