Educational institutions indulging in malpractices like charging capitation fee from students or giving wrong information about the faculty, may soon have to pay a hefty fine. Their promoters can even land in jail.

Parliament's Budget session could now see a slew of Bills moved by the HRD ministry, as the Group of Ministers on Wednesday cleared the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2009.

This is the third Bill cleared by the GoM. HRD now has three Bills -- one related to the setting up of educational tribunals, the second on an accreditation body, and the third on malpractices.

HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the Bill was cleared with minor changes. The ministry would now carry out the necessary changes and send the Bill for Cabinet approval.

The Bill lists 25 educational malpractices and any institute found indulging in them can attract a fine of Rs 50 lakh and its promoter a sentence of up to three years. In fact, this was the first Bill drafted e by the HRD ministry after Sibal took over. It came in the backdrop of the expose about a medical college in Tamil Nadu demanding capitation fee from students.