Cabinet Approves 4 New Drafts
Photo: PMO
Cabinet approved four critical legislative drafts on Thursday night to implement strict measures against online gambling, public exam paper leaks, digital fraud, and narcotics trafficking.
Under the proposed laws, individuals convicted of digital cheating, leaking exam papers, or hacking results in public examinations will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
During its tenth meeting, the Cabinet gave preliminary approval to the drafts of “Gambling Prevention Act, 2026” and the “Bogura University Act, 2026”.
Moreover, the Cabinet granted final approval to the drafts of “The Public Examinations (Offenses) (Amendment) Act, 2026” and the “Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act, 2026”, both of which will now move to Parliament for enactment.
According to a press release from the Cabinet Division, the “Gambling Prevention Act, 2026” modernizes the outdated “Public Gambling Act” of 1867 to address the rise of technology-dependent gambling.
This new legislation brings digital gambling platforms, digital wallets used for wagering, remote gambling, betting, match-fixing, and spot-fixing under regulatory control. Depending on the nature of the offense, violators will face fines, imprisonment, or both.
Cabinet also targeted organized cheating rings by including harsh punishments in the updated public examination law. Beyond the five-year prison term for digital fraud and result hacking, the law mandates significant financial penalties.
To address judicial backlogs and drug sales in cyberspace, the “Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act, 2026” facilitates the establishment of “Narcotics Offenses Suppression Tribunals” for the rapid resolution of cases.
The draft includes specific clauses to combat technology-based drug crimes and creates a legal framework for forming “Dog Squads”.
Moreover, it establishes a structure for joint operations through inter-agency coordination in border areas.
Finally, Cabinet approved the draft for the “Bogura University Act, 2026”. This move aims to transform the “Bogura Science and Technology University,” which the government gazetted in 2001, into a full-fledged general university.
