The government has introduced a strict law to curb paper leaks and cheating in public examinations amid a massive controversy over the NEET and UGC-NET exams.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was notified Friday evening by the Ministry Of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Here are five important provisions in the law:

1. The law has provisions for at least three years imprisonment for those caught using unfair means during exams. It may be extended to five years and up to Rs 10 lakh fine may also be imposed on them. The jail term may be extended further if one fails to pay the fine.
2. The “service provider” – or testing agency – will face a fine of up to a crore and a proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered from them. They may also be barred from holding any public exam for four years, the law states.
3. The law also provides for a jail term of three years, which may be extended up to 10 years, if anyone from the senior management is found involved. A fine of Rs 1 crore may also be imposed on them.
4. The provisions of the law will not be applicable to a person who is able to prove that the offence was committed without his knowledge and that he tried his best to prevent it.
5. Whoever – be it a person or a “service provider” – commits an organised crime will face imprisonment of at least five years, which may be extended to 10 years, along with a fine of at least Rs 1 crore, the law states.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), two top public examinations that are taken by lakhs of Indians for careers in medical and academic courses, are in the middle of a huge controversy that has seen students hitting the streets in the past week.

A total of 24 lakh aspirants had taken the NEET exam on May 5 for admission into medical colleges across India, but several irregularities surfaced when the results were declared on June 4. At least four men have confessed to paper leaks ahead of the NEET exam in Bihar.

UGC-NET was cancelled on June 19, a day after it was conducted, with the Education ministry stating exam integrity was compromised. The question paper for the exam was leaked 48 hours earlier and sold on the dark web and encrypted social media platforms, CBI sources told NDTV.

New Delhi:

The Centre on Friday operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

Nearly four months after President Dropadi Murmu gave assent to The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the Personnel Ministry on Friday night issued a notification, saying the provisions of the law will come into force from June 21.

The move assumes significance amid a raging row over UGC-NET, 2024, exam’s question paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered a case to probe the question paper leak of the exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Opposition parties have also alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, the results of which were announced by NTA on June 4.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby appoints the 21st day of June, 2024, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” reads the notification.

The notification of the Act comes just a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was asked when the legislation would be implemented. The minister had said the law ministry was framing the rules.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 9. The Lok Sabha passed it on February 6. President Murmu gave approval to the bill on February 12, turning it into a law.

The Act aims to prevent unfair means in the public examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the railways, banking recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA) among others.

It has provisions for a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating and those involved in organised crimes of cheating will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.

Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.

The Act is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that are involved in unfair means for monetary gains and protects candidates from its provisions, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)