Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 27: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Monday criticised the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, describing it as a superficial measure aimed at defusing public outrage over repeated examination paper leaks rather than delivering meaningful reforms.
His remarks came after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the third time during the day as Opposition members continued their protests following the introduction of the Bill.
Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Tewari argued that the proposed legislation offers no significant changes and falls short of addressing the systemic issues affecting India's examination and education systems.
He said that if the government had been genuinely committed to reform, it would have introduced a comprehensive law tackling the broader challenges confronting the country's education sector instead of what he termed a temporary response to public pressure.
According to the Congress leader, the legislation has been brought primarily to ease growing public anger, particularly among students and young people who have been protesting over repeated examination irregularities and paper leak incidents.
Tewari also alleged that the Bill was introduced in the aftermath of police action against student protesters to calm public sentiment rather than bring about structural reforms.
The Opposition has continued to demand an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action taken against NEET protesters on July 20. The government, however, has accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of disrupting Parliament and avoiding a substantive discussion on the proposed anti-paper leak legislation.
The amendment seeks to strengthen the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, by introducing tougher legal provisions to curb examination-related fraud and safeguard the integrity of public recruitment and competitive examinations.
Among the proposed measures are imprisonment of up to 10 years, fines of up to ?10 crore, confiscation of assets acquired through examination fraud and the creation of a mechanism to ensure that cases are decided within three months.
The legislation follows approval by the Union Cabinet and also proposes the establishment of fast-track courts to expedite trials involving paper leaks and other examination malpractices, with the government maintaining that the amendments are intended to strengthen transparency and protect the interests of students across the country.