Parliament Passes Public Examinations (Offences) Amendment Bill to Curb Leakage, Digital Fraud

Parliament today passed the 'Public Examinations (Offences) (Amendment) Bill, 2026' incorporating stringent punishments to prevent question paper leaks, digital manipulation, fake certificates, and other technology-driven examination offences. Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan moved the bill in the Jatiya Sangsad, and it was subsequently passed by a voice vote.

The bill has been enacted with the objective of preserving transparency and credibility in Bangladesh's public examination system. Through this newly passed bill, the outdated provisions of the 'Public Examinations (Offences) Act, 1980' have been amended to tackle cyber-tech-driven fraud and emerging irregularities. According to the statement of objects and reasons, the existing 45-year-old law had become largely ineffective in countering modern, technology-based crimes. It became imperative to modernize the law to counter organized crime syndicates leveraging digital technology.

Key Penal Provisions of the Amended Bill:

• 5-Year Jail for Digital Manipulation: For the first time, a legal definition of 'Digital Manipulation' has been introduced in the amendment. Under the new Section 5, unauthorized access, hacking, altering, or deleting data within public examination databases will attract a maximum of five years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.

• Stricter Punishment for Question Leaks: Section 8 of the existing law has been substituted to intensify penalties for question and answer sheet leaks. Possessing, publishing, circulating, or distributing question papers or answer sheets prior to an exam will lead to a maximum of five years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.

• 2-Year Jail for Prohibited Devices: To curb cheating using technology, Section 3A has been inserted. Entering an exam hall with banned electronic devices and deliberately violating institutional guidelines will result in up to two years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.

• Unapproved Centers and Mark Manipulation: Setting up or running unauthorized exam centers has been criminalized under the new Section 9A. Individuals involved, including property owners permitting unauthorized exams on their premises, face up to five years of imprisonment. Furthermore, intentionally inflating or deflating marks to influence results (Section 10A) will carry a maximum penalty of two years in jail or a fine.

Institutional Liability and Whistleblower Protection: The law permits legal action against any institution or organization that directly or indirectly abets exam-related offences or fails to supervise its personnel (Section 12A). Concurrently, Section 13B provides legal immunity from civil, criminal, or departmental actions for whistleblowers who disclose information regarding such crimes in good faith. The bill also specifies that any child accused under this act will be tried under the juvenile justice framework of the Children Act, 2013.

Under the amended law, these offences have been made cognizable, empowering law enforcement agencies to take action without prior court warrants. Metropolitan Magistrates in metropolitan areas and Senior Judicial Magistrates or First-Class Judicial Magistrates in other regions will try these cases using summary trial procedures. The bill also grants the government powers to formulate necessary rules for the effective implementation of the new law.

//DBTech/DHE/MI//