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At centre of NEET leak, Maharashtra drafts law to rein in coaching centres
Maharashtra has released a draft law to regulate private coaching centres, proposing a five-hour daily class cap, a ban on enrolling children under 13, and mandatory registration for centres with over 25 students. The move follows the NEET paper leak and aims to address safety, fees, and student welfare.
Maharashtra drafts sweeping law to regulate coaching centres
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has released a draft Bill that would bring private coaching centres across the state under a broad regulatory framework for the first time. The proposed Maharashtra Private Coaching Centers (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026, published by the School Education and Sports Department, comes three months after the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak that put the state's coaching industry under scrutiny. According to The Indian Express, nine of the 13 people arrested in the leak investigation were from Maharashtra, with Latur and Pune, two of the state's biggest coaching hubs, at the centre of the probe.
Key provisions: class cap, under-13 ban, and registration
The draft law, as reported by several outlets, would apply to any coaching centre catering to more than 25 students. Registration would be mandatory, with existing centres getting six months from the date the Act comes into force to register. Registration would be valid for three years and would have to be renewed, with each branch of a coaching centre requiring a separate registration.
One of the most talked-about provisions is the cap on coaching classes at five hours a day. Reported by CNBC TV18, Deccan Chronicle, The Economic Times, and The Times of India, the draft also says classes should not be held too early in the morning or too late in the evening, and that students and tutors would get one weekly day off, with no tests on the day after the weekly off. Free Press Journal and The Indian Express add that centres would also have to provide special leave around important regional festivals.
The draft would bar centres from enrolling children below 13 years. As The Indian Express notes, this is lower than the minimum age of 16 prescribed under the Union Education Ministry's 2024 coaching guidelines, which Assam follows in its own law.
Fee transparency and refunds
On the financial side, the draft requires centres to issue receipts and prohibits charging more than the declared course fee. The fee for a course could not be increased mid-course, and students leaving a course midway would be entitled to a pro-rata refund for the remaining period within 10 days, with the same principle extended to hostel and mess charges. The declared fee would cover prospectus, notes, study material, internal examinations, and other related items, with no additional amounts under separate heads. Centres would also have to publish details of tutors, courses, fees, coaching hours, facilities, admission capacity, and refund policies on their websites.
Infrastructure, safety, and mental health
Infrastructure requirements include at least one square metre of space per student, adequate ventilation and lighting, drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls, and first-aid facilities. Centres would need fire and building safety certificates, could not operate from basements, and would have to install CCTV cameras covering the premises, preserving footage for at least a month. Toilets and surrounding areas must be accessible to Children with Special Needs (CWSN), and information on hospitals, doctors, police, fire services, and women's helplines must be displayed.
Mental health is a major focus. Coaching centres would be required to establish a counselling system, promote life skills and wellness, and create mechanisms for immediate assistance to students in distress. They could appoint trained counsellors, and information about psychologists and counsellors would have to be made available to students and parents. The draft also prohibits batch segregation based on academic performance, arguing that it increases pressure and affects mental health. Instead, batches should be formed by order of admission and stay unchanged. Centres would be expected to conduct aptitude tests and discuss alternative careers beyond engineering and medical admissions.
The proposed bars on hiring and on integration with schools are notable. Tutors would have to be graduates, and centres could not employ anyone against whom a cognizable offence has been registered. Coaching centres would not be allowed to operate from the premises of recognised schools or colleges, could not employ teachers working in those institutions, and could not enter into any form of integration with schools. The Indian Express reports that this is an explicit ban on the 'dummy-school' model, with a provision to recommend derecognition of any school actively involved in violations after giving it a reasonable opportunity to respond.
Grievance redressal and enforcement
A formal grievance redressal mechanism would be established. Complaints about offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act or workplace sexual harassment would have to be acted on within 24 hours, with centres required to provide relevant information including CCTV footage. Suspected violations of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita would have to be reported to the local police.
Inquiry officers and appellate authorities would have powers to inspect centres, call for records, and in specific circumstances search premises and seize documents or electronic devices. The Indian Express reports that officers can also seal premises, and that every inquiry would be treated as a judicial proceeding.
Fines under the draft would be ₹1-5 lakh for minor offences, ₹10-50 lakh for major violations, and up to ₹10 lakh for repeated minor violations. Authorities could also suspend registration, cancel it, or order a centre to close.
The draft Bill is open for objections and suggestions until 6 pm on September 4, 2026, and officials said the government would consider it in September. If approved, the Act would apply across Maharashtra and would come into force on a date separately notified.
Comparisons with other states
According to The Indian Express, Maharashtra's draft may be among the strictest in the country. Its threshold of more than 25 students is lower than the more than 100 in Rajasthan and more than 50 in Assam. The hiring bar goes further: Rajasthan and Assam block someone convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, but Maharashtra would block anyone against whom a cognizable offence has been registered, Hindustan has no comparable provision. Haryana's fines start at ₹25,000 and Assam has a flat ₹1 lakh, but Maharashtra proposes up to ₹50 lakh for major violations. Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Assam, and Haryana are the only other states to have enacted coaching-specific laws based on the central guidelines.
The Indian Express notes that in its current form, the law would be among the 'strictest' and 'widest-reaching' of coaching laws.
How each outlet told it
CNBC TV18
Framing: Multiple headlines: one focuses on the 5-hour daily limit and under-13 ban, another lists '10 key rules' covering fees, classes, and safety. The listicle format emphasizes practical details over political context. — Informative and neutral; the article is presented as a list of rules with a status check, neither alarmed nor celebratory.
Coaching centres with more than 25 students must register
Existing centres get six months to register; registration valid for three years
Classes capped at five hours per day; weekly day off; no tests immediately after weekly off
Ban on enrolling children below 13 years
Ban on misleading promises about ranks or marks
Fees regulated: receipts, no mid-course fee increase, pro-rata refunds within 10 days
Infrastructure norms: one square metre per student, ventilation, drinking water, separate toilets, first-aid, parking, fire and building safety certificates
Ban on operating from basements
CCTV cameras required, footage preserved for at least one month
Counselling and mental health support required
Prohibition on segregating students by academic performance
Coaching centres must remain separate from schools and colleges; no integration
Grievance redressal mechanism; 24-hour action for POCSO and sexual harassment complaints
Fines: minor ₹1-5 lakh, major ₹10-50 lakh, repeated minor up to ₹10 lakh
Draft open to objections and suggestions; considered by government in September
Background of NEET paper leak and alleged role of coaching centres
Framing: Headline emphasizes the 5-hour daily cap on classes, positioning it as the main hook, while leaving out other key provisions like the under-13 ban and fines. — Neutral and straightforward; the tone is informative, with the draft details presented without additional commentary.
Framing: Headline is identical to one of The Times of India's, emphasizing the law to regulate and the five-hour cap, leaving out other key provisions. — Neutral and informative; the article is a straightforward summary.
Framing: Headline poses a question about the 5-hour cap and mentions the draft law and public feedback deadline, framing it as a substantive change with citizen involvement. — Informative and detailed; the article provides extensive coverage of each provision, suggesting thoroughness without alarm.
Framing: Headline ties the draft law directly to the NEET leak, framing it as a response to the scandal, and emphasizes 'rein in' coaching centres. — Analytical and critical; the article compares the draft to other states' laws, noting its strictness and breadth, and points out the irony of the low age minimum.
Framing: Headline: 'Maharashtra prepares law to regulate private coaching centres: Here's what the bill proposes' – emphasizes the regulatory aspect and lists provisions, leaving out specific details like the under-13 ban. — Somewhat alarmist, given the emphasis on the paper leak and state's alleged links; the listicle format is informative but the framing suggests a response to a scandal.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the law to regulate and the five-hour cap, similar to others, but uses 'proposes' and 'cap classes' to highlight the restriction. — Neutral and concise; the article is a straightforward summary of the draft's provisions.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the 5-hour cap and under-13 ban, giving a clear summary of two key provisions. — Neutral and factual; the article presents the draft's provisions objectively.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Maharashtra government has proposed the draft Maharashtra Private Coaching Centers (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026 to regulate private coaching centres.
ClaimStudents would have to be informed about the difficulty and intensity of examinations before admission, and centres would have to make clear that enrolment does not guarantee success in competitive examinations or admission to professional courses.
ClaimStudents leaving a course midway would be entitled to a pro-rata refund for the remaining period within 10 days, with the same principle applying to hostel and mess charges.
ClaimCoaching centres would need adequate ventilation and lighting, potable drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls, first-aid facilities and parking.
ClaimCoaching centres would have to establish a counselling system, promote life skills and wellness, and create mechanisms to provide immediate assistance to students facing distress.
ClaimCentres could appoint or hire trained counsellors, and information about psychologists and counsellors would have to be made available to students and parents.
ClaimCentres would be expected to conduct aptitude tests to assess students' capabilities and interests and discuss alternative career options rather than focusing only on engineering and medical admissions.
ClaimCoaching centres would not be permitted to employ teachers working in recognised schools or junior colleges or enter into any form of integration with recognised schools.
ClaimComplaints relating to offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act or the law concerning sexual harassment at the workplace would require action within 24 hours.
ClaimCentre management would have to immediately provide relevant information, including CCTV footage, to the government in POCSO or sexual harassment cases.
ClaimCoaching centres would have to publish details of tutors, courses, fees, coaching hours, facilities, admission capacity and refund policies on their websites.
ClaimThe draft gives inquiry officers and appellate authorities powers to inspect coaching centres, call for records and CCTV footage and, in specified circumstances, search premises and seize documents or electronic devices.
ClaimThe declared course fee will include the prospectus, notes, study material, internal examinations and other related items, and centres cannot charge additional amounts under separate heads.
ClaimToilets and surrounding premises must be CWSN-friendly, and information on hospitals, doctors, police, fire services and women’s helplines must be displayed for students.
ClaimIf a recognised school is found actively involved in a violation of the proposed Act, action can be taken against the school, including a recommendation to the state government for derecognition, after giving the school a reasonable opportunity to respond.
ClaimThe draft Maharashtra law's more-than-25-students threshold is the lowest among five state coaching laws, compared with Rajasthan (more than 100) and Assam (more than 50).
ClaimRajasthan and Assam bar those convicted of offences involving moral turpitude, whereas Maharashtra's draft bars hiring anyone against whom a cognizable offence has been registered; Haryana has no comparable provision.
ClaimRajasthan, Jharkhand, Assam and Haryana are the only four states to have enacted dedicated legislation linked to the coaching industry after the Union Education Ministry’s January 2024 guidelines.
ClaimSuggestions and objections on the Maharashtra draft can be submitted in writing to the Commissioner of Education or the Director of Education (Secondary and Higher Secondary) in Pune.
6 outlets · 7 articles consulted: CNBC TV18, Deccan Chronicle, The Economic Times, Free Press Journal, The Indian Express, The Times of India62 claims extractedVersion 4Written 2026-08-23