Tougher punishment, but will it stop paper leaks?

July 31, 2026 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani

Public confidence in competitive examinations depends on fairness, transparency, and strong safeguards. However, stricter punishment alone may not guarantee leak-free exams.

The proposed Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, widely known as the Anti-Paper Leak Bill, focuses mainly on increasing penalties instead of preventing leaks at their source.

The amendment strengthens the existing 2024 law rather than creating a separate framework to eliminate paper leaks.

It raises the minimum jail term for unfair practices from three years to five years. Moreover, courts can extend the punishment to ten years. The maximum fine also increases sharply from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh.

Service providers face tougher consequences under the proposed law. Their penalties rise from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore for examination-related irregularities. Additionally, managerial personnel involved in such offences could receive at least five years in prison.

The bill also targets organised examination crimes with stricter punishment. Offenders may face a minimum seven-year jail term, extendable to ten years, along with fines starting from ₹10 crore.

Furthermore, the legislation introduces a Special Task Force to investigate examination-related crimes. It also proposes Special Fast Track Courts to complete trials within three months.

Besides this, every such court will have a Special Public Prosecutor. All examination-related offences will remain non-bailable and non-compoundable, making legal action more stringent.

Despite these tougher provisions, critics argue that the bill concentrates more on punishment than prevention. It offers limited measures to address operational weaknesses that often lead to question paper leaks.

Consequently, it does not outline a comprehensive strategy to strengthen examination security or eliminate vulnerabilities before leaks occur.

Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor has called for broader reforms in India’s examination system.

According to him, the country should move beyond a single high-stakes examination model that determines the future of millions within a few hours. Instead, he believes success should be measured by leak-free examinations, timely results, and accountable institutions.

Ultimately, stronger penalties may discourage offenders. However, lasting change will require robust preventive systems, secure examination processes, and institutional accountability.

Only then can students enter examination halls with complete confidence that merit alone will determine their success.

Image from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image published on April 05, 2017