Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Tuesday, 28 July opened the parliamentary debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, asserting that the Modi government had completed what he described as the 'unfinished task' of the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration by enacting comprehensive legislation against paper leaks and exam-related malpractice.

What the Bill Proposes

The 2026 amendment builds on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which Singh described as 'the first of its kind in the history of Independent India.' He said the core objective of the amendment is to ensure 'speedy justice' for students wronged by paper leaks, with enhanced prison terms targeting not just immediate offenders but all those involved 'directly or indirectly.'

'The basic objectives were to give more credibility and transparency to examinations, to reassure students that they would be rewarded for their genuine efforts, and to ensure that their future is safe,' Singh said. 'Before this, there was no comprehensive law available to deal with such cases.'

A Chronology of Past Leaks

Singh cited a string of examination irregularities predating 2014 to argue that successive governments had failed to legislate a unified response. He referenced the 2019 Railway Recruitment Board Examination, the 2011 All India Engineering Entrance Examination, the 2009 Railway Recruitment Board paper leak, and the 2012 AIIMS New Delhi entrance paper leak, among others.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal objected to the list, prompting Singh to respond: 'Venugopal ji, by changing the figures or digits, you cannot change the record; it's on the record.' Singh maintained he was 'following a chronology' and that the incidents were matters of parliamentary record.

The UPA-Era Committees Argument

Singh pointed out that multiple committees during the UPA tenure had themselves recommended the creation of a common testing agency — a suggestion that was never acted upon. 'You (Congress) should complement Prime Minister Modi and this government; it has finished an unfinished task, which you should have accomplished,' he said, directing his remarks across the aisle.

He characterised the 2024 Act and its 2026 amendment together as 'a reaffirmation of this government's deep commitment to safeguard the welfare of the youth of this country' and as a 'milestone legislation in the history of Indian Parliament.'

What Comes Next

The bill was introduced in Parliament on 27 July, a day before Singh opened the debate. With the government framing the legislation as both a youth-welfare measure and a political counter-narrative to the opposition, the debate is expected to intensify as other members respond. The amendment's stricter sentencing provisions will be closely watched by student groups and civil society organisations that have campaigned against examination fraud.