2026 Amendment
Enhanced Penalties and Fast-Track Enforcement
The 2026 amendment increases the deterrent value of the 2024 Act by raising minimum and maximum sentences and fine amounts, and by introducing time-bound investigation and trial mechanisms intended to reduce the multi-year delays typically seen in paper-leak prosecutions.
- Individual-offence imprisonment raised from three-to-five years to five-to-ten years; fine ceiling raised from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh
- For errant examination service providers involved in organised offences, the maximum fine is raised from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore, and the period of debarment from conducting any public examination is extended from four years to eight years
- The amendment provides for special fast-track courts, a fixed two-month deadline for completing investigation, and designated special public prosecutors to argue these cases, aiming for swifter case resolution than under the general criminal process
- The changes apply to the same categories of examinations covered under the 2024 Act — UPSC, SSC, RRBs, IBPS, and NTA-conducted tests for higher-education admissions
● Tracked since March 25, 2026 · last seen August 29, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
30 Jul '26
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30 Jul '26
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