Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has urged the government and the Opposition to reach a consensus by 5 pm to facilitate a discussion on the stringent law against exam paper leaks introduced in the House on Monday.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was introduced by Union Minister of State for the Department of Personnel and Training Dr Jitendra Singh earlier in the day. The Bill aims to effectively check crimes like paper leaks and impose stringent penal provisions to punish culprits. According to the Speaker, the Bill is extremely important for safeguarding the interests of crores of youths by providing provisions to check such crimes.
The House witnessed sloganeering by the Opposition members over police action against students during protests over the NEET paper leak last week. However, the Speaker announced that the House will take up the Bill, which has garnered significant interest across party lines, with 91 amendment notices submitted by members. Birla emphasized the need for a debate, stating that in a democracy, the expression of views by all is the core strength of the system.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju concurred with the Speaker, questioning the rationale behind the Opposition’s protests despite filing multiple amendment notices. Rijiju added that preventing a debate on the Bill sends a wrong message to the nation’s youth, who are closely watching parliamentary proceedings. The minister urged the Congress party to initiate the discussion, agreeing to allocate sufficient time for debate as decided by the Speaker.
The Bill proposes a 10-year jail term and a Rs 50 lakh fine for people convicted of involvement in paper leaks. It also sets a two-month deadline to complete the investigation into paper leak cases and empowers states and Union Territories to set up fast-track courts to complete the trial within three months of filing of the chargesheet.
The government has announced the formation of a task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to suggest reforms to make the public exam system leakproof. The move comes after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down on Saturday following nationwide student protests.
