New Anti-Cheating Bill Targets Paper Leaks with Harsher Prison Terms and Massive Fines

New Delhi. The central government has moved to overhaul the existing framework for conducting public examinations by introducing a stringent amendment bill in the Lok Sabha. Aimed at curbing the persistent menace of paper leaks and examination fraud, the proposed legislation seeks to impose significantly harsher penalties on individuals and organizations found guilty of compromising the integrity of recruitment and entrance tests.

Under the provisions of the new bill, the legal landscape for examination-related offenses undergoes a major transformation. General offenses that previously carried a prison term of three to five years will now attract five to ten years of incarceration. Furthermore, the financial penalties for these violations have been scaled up dramatically, with fines reaching as high as ₹50 lakh for certain categories of offenders.

The legislation places a heavy burden of accountability on service providers and management personnel involved in the examination process. Fines for service providers have been increased fivefold, rising to ₹5 crore, while directors and management staff face similar financial liabilities alongside extended prison terms. In-charge personnel are also subject to stricter sentencing, with potential imprisonment spanning five to ten years and fines reaching ₹5 crore.

To combat the influence of organized crime networks that often orchestrate large-scale leaks, the bill mandates a minimum of seven years in prison and introduces a maximum fine of ₹10 crore. This shift is designed to serve as a powerful deterrent against syndicates that profit from undermining merit-based selection processes.

A critical component of the reform is the introduction of strict timelines to prevent the long delays that often plague judicial proceedings. The bill requires that all investigations be completed within 60 days, regardless of whether they are handled by local police or central agencies. Once a chargesheet is filed, trials must be concluded within three months in newly designated Special Fast Track Courts.

The judicial process is further streamlined by restricting the ability of courts to grant frequent adjournments. Any delay beyond the following day will require explicit, written justification. Additionally, the bill mandates that states and union territories appoint special public prosecutors to handle these cases exclusively, while high court appeals are to be resolved by division benches within a three-month window.