New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, paving the way for the legislation to become law. The Bill was passed by Parliament on Thursday after receiving approval from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The amended law seeks to further strengthen the legal framework for preventing unfair practices in public examinations and safeguarding the interests of students and job aspirants across the country.
The legislation introduces stricter punishments for those involved in examination-related malpractices, including question paper leaks and organised cheating. It also provides for the establishment of fast-track courts to ensure the speedy investigation and trial of offences related to public examinations.
The Act is aimed at curbing a wide range of unfair practices in public examinations, including paper leaks, tampering with answer sheets, manipulation of examination processes, cyber-related offences, fake admit cards, fake websites, and other organised examination frauds.
The Government has stated that the amendments are intended to make the public examination system more transparent, credible, secure and merit-based, while protecting the aspirations of millions of students and candidates appearing for recruitment and entrance examinations.
With the President’s assent, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Act, 2026 has now come into force, strengthening the legal provisions to deter examination malpractices and ensure greater integrity in the conduct of public examinations across the country.