Big reform after NEET storm: Here's how India is seeking to improve its exam system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has moved to tighten India's legal framework against examination malpractice by introducing amendments to the Public Examinations Act, signalling a tougher crackdown on paper leaks and organised cheating networks after the nationwide controversy surrounding the NEET medical entrance examination.

The proposed legislation, tabled on July 27, seeks to substantially raise punishments for those involved in compromising public examinations, while the Centre simultaneously accelerates broader reforms aimed at restoring confidence in one of the world's largest competitive testing systems.

The move comes after the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) earlier this year following the leak of question papers, an episode that affected nearly two million medical aspirants.


The disruption triggered widespread protests across several cities and intensified scrutiny of India's examination ecosystem. The controversy also had a severe human cost, with multiple student suicides reported in the aftermath of the cancellation.

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The government's latest legislative push is intended to strengthen the Public Examinations Act enacted in 2024, which was itself framed in response to recurring incidents of examination fraud.

While the existing law introduced penalties for candidates using unfair means, officials responsible for conducting examinations and private agencies engaged in the process, the proposed amendments significantly raise the legal consequences.

Under the revised provisions, the minimum imprisonment for those found guilty would increase from three years to five years. The maximum financial penalty would be raised five-fold to Rs 5 crore from the current Rs 1 crore.

Companies or agencies convicted for their involvement in examination fraud would also face a longer debarment period, with the proposed ban extending to eight years instead of four.

The Centre has argued that stronger punitive measures, coupled with faster investigations and time-bound trials, are necessary to dismantle organised rackets responsible for recurring paper leaks.

The proposed amendments are also aimed at improving enforcement by ensuring quicker prosecution of offenders.

Alongside legal changes, the government has initiated a broader overhaul of the examination framework.

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Following the nationwide protests, Prime Minister Modi announced the formation of a high-level committee headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend technology-driven reforms that can improve the integrity of public examinations.

The panel has been tasked with identifying ways to deploy digital technologies more extensively across the examination process.

On Sunday, Modi said the government would act swiftly on the committee's recommendations to improve the credibility and reliability of public examinations.

The reform exercise builds on an earlier expert committee constituted after the 2024 NEET paper leak. That panel submitted its report in October with 101 recommendations covering examination design, technology adoption and operational safeguards.

Among its major proposals were shifting large-scale examinations from pen-and-paper mode to computer-based testing and conducting tests in multiple shifts to reduce the risk of coordinated leaks.

Several of these recommendations are yet to be fully implemented, although the committee informed the Supreme Court in May that many key measures had either been rolled out or were at advanced stages of implementation.

India conducts hundreds of public recruitment and entrance examinations every year, with millions of candidates competing for limited seats in higher education institutions and government jobs.

Repeated instances of paper leaks over the past few years have fuelled concerns over the credibility of the system, prompting demands for stricter accountability and greater use of technology to safeguard examinations.

The proposed amendments indicate that the government is pursuing a two-pronged strategy: imposing harsher penalties on those facilitating examination fraud while modernising the conduct of public examinations through technology and administrative reforms.

If enacted, the changes would mark the toughest legal framework yet against organised examination malpractice in India.