The debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, saw sharp exchanges between the government and the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. While Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the Narendra Modi government was the first to legislate for cleaning up the examination system, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi countered with a jibe at former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying BJP MPs had garlanded him after his resignation “as if he had won a war against Pakistan”.Gogoi also sought to know who gave orders to use pellet guns against student protesters in Delhi, and demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the floor of the House.Singh told the Lok Sabha that the Bill was an improvement on the 2024 Bill that “was perhaps the first of its kind” in independent India, and was a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to safeguard the future of the youth. “This Bill can be described as a milestone legislation in the history of Indian Parliament,” he said.Singh pointed out that exam paper leaks have occurred across states under different governments. He cited paper leaks in the Railway Recruitment Board exam in 2009, the All-India Engineering exam in 2011, and the AIIMS Delhi paper leak in 2012—all during the UPA’s tenure. He also mentioned paper leaks under Opposition-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Singh said this was why the government decided to bring in a comprehensive law to curb exam malpractice.Also Read | Who will be held accountable for exam paper leaks? Don’t bet on it, records show most get awaySingh said earlier committees had suggested a National Testing Agency (NTA), but the “unfinished task” was completed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the purpose of the Bill was to make the law more stringent and ensure speedy justice. He underlined that the imprisonment term was being increased from 3-5 years to 5-10 years, and the fine from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.He added that the fine for service providers was being increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. He added that any public provider found guilty would be debarred from such work for the next eight years. Imprisonment was being increased to 5-10 years, he said. As for organised crime, Singh said, imprisonment would be 7-10 years and the fine up to 10 crore—both an increase from the last law.Singh said that the Bill provides for fast-track courts to deal with exam malpractices and a speedy investigation within two months. The trial court, he added, would have to give its ruling within three months. Any appeal would have to be made within 30 days. Singh said that fast-track courts were already being set up across states, and added that PM Modi had already announced a special task force to look into exam reforms.Story continues below this adThe Union Cabinet had approved the Bill amid a nationwide student protest demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the leak of the NEET-UG paper in May.Also Read | Fast-track courts for paper leak cases are finally taking shape. What happens next?‘21 children died by suicide’Gaurav Gogoi said that the Bill was just an amendment to a 2024 law, and the minister had said even then that it was a big step that would end paper leaks. Gogoi said that after the 2024 NEET paper leak, 44 of the 45 people chargesheeted have got bail. The main accused, Sanjeev Mukhia, was absconding for 11 months, he asserted.Gogoi said that paper leaks had continued even after the 2024 law, and that Dharmendra Pradhan was the education minister then. He alleged that Pradhan “was garlanded as if he had won a war against Pakistan” after his resignation, despite the fact that “21 children had died” by suicide when he was education minister.“We want to know who the 47 people terminated by NTA are, as the sanctioned capacity of NTA is 34. Are these outsourced people you had brought there?” Gogoi said, wondering why the NTA director general was removed but the chairman was retained. “He is related to a specific organisation,” he said, adding that there was corruption under him when he was heading the Public Service Commissions of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.Story continues below this adHe said that since the education department was important for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the government did not want education reforms. He claimed that education was being used for ideological indoctrination.Also Read | Students should not become political tool by joining ‘cockroach’ protest: DU officialGogoi said that while parents sent their children to Jantar Mantar, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Institute of Technology asked students not to do so, adding that this could adversely impact their careers. He said that student suicides had become a major problem, and many students were dying by suicide under pressure.Gogoi said that students lost their fear of the police because they were worried for their future, and some students came a day late because they were willing to get beaten by the police. He, however, added that he did not support the use of some foul language there.Gogoi pointed out that a police officer had slapped a girl and another had used his baton to touch the private parts of a girl. Gogoi sought to know who gave the orders to use pellet guns against protesters, and demanded a statement from Shah. He also condemned the use of an AK-47 to fire at protesters in Bihar.