Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday took up the Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Amendment Bill, 2026, for consideration and passing, marking a key legislative step in the government’s continuing effort to curb malpractice in competitive examinations across the country.
The bill had already been passed by the Lok Sabha a day earlier, on July 29, before being taken up in the Upper House. Speaking on the bill during the debate, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh said the legislation represents a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of students and the youth of the country, many of whom have in recent years been affected by paper leaks and other forms of examination malpractice that have repeatedly disrupted recruitment and entrance processes.
Singh stressed that with this bill, the government has fulfilled a long pending proposal concerning the National Testing Agency, an institution that has itself faced scrutiny in the past over the integrity of examinations it conducts. The amendment is intended to strengthen the legal framework available to authorities to prevent and penalise organised cheating and leak related offences in public examinations, building on the original 2024 law that first criminalised such unfair means at the national level.
In a related legislative development on the same day, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment Bill, 2026, was passed in the Lok Sabha, having already cleared the Rajya Sabha a day earlier on July 29. The proposed legislation seeks to extend the same statutory protection currently enjoyed by the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, to Vande Mataram, placing both compositions on an equal legal footing when it comes to protection against insult or disrespect.
Together, the two bills reflect a broader legislative push during the ongoing session of Parliament, addressing concerns ranging from the integrity of the examination system that determines opportunities for millions of young Indians to questions of national symbolism and honour. Both pieces of legislation are now set to move toward presidential assent, after which they will come into force as law, giving authorities expanded powers to act against examination fraud and strengthening the legal status accorded to Vande Mataram alongside the National Anthem.
