Cabinet clears Bill proposing 10-year jail, Rs 10 Crore fine for organised paper leaks

The Union Cabinet approved a draft bill proposing stricter penalties for paper leaks, including up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a ₹10 crore fine for organised rackets. The legislation also mandates time-bound investigations and fast-track trials to curb examination malpractices

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill to ensure stricter punishments – 10 years’ jail for paper leaks, fine up to Rs 10 crore – hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement, official sources said.

The draft bill was approved in a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister at the Parliament House complex. The bill seeks an amendment to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 and proposes a minimum punishment of five years’ imprisonment for individuals involved in paper leaks and/or a fine.

It proposes a jail term of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 10 crore in case of organised paper leaks. Sources said the bill also provides for a time-bound probe of the cases and a statutory mandate for trial in fast-track courts, with a stipulation that the probe must be completed in three months.

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.

Sources said the amended bill is likely to come up in Parliament on Monday, as announced by the prime minister in a video message issued around midnight. In the message, Modi announced that a bill containing provisions for stronger action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.

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

According to the sources, 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 during the July 20 Parliament march.

The sources said the government is 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 exams, no subsequent Congress government introduced a law in this regard.