Amid the NEET and the UGC-NET controversy, the centre has notified a law against cheating, paper leaks, and irregularities in competitive examinations, Indian Express reported. Under the new law – the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 – which came into effect on June 21, the offenders will be subjected to a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.

The Act, which received President Draupadi Murmu’s assent in February, aims to prevent malpractice in the public examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission, the Staff Selection Commission, the railways, banking recruitment examinations and other examinations held by the National Testing Agency.

The central government also constituted a seven member high-level committee to review the NTA and its operations to ensure fair conduct of exams. The committee is led by former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan and also includes former AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, among others. 

What does the law say?

The Public Examinations Act provides punishments for “leakage of question paper or answer key”, “directly or indirectly assisting the candidate in any manner unauthorisedly in the public examination” and “tampering with the computer network or a computer resource or a computer system”. And both individuals and institutions are also liable to punishments.

The law says that those resorting to “unfair means” will be punished with imprisonment of not less than three years and a maximum of five years and with fine up to Rs 10 lakh. Meanwhile, a service provider, employed by authorities, will be liable to a fine of up to Rs 1 crore and a maximum of 10 years in jail.

As per the Act, “unfair means” includes unauthorised access or leakage of question paper or answer key; assisting a candidate during examination; tampering with computer network or resources; tampering with documents for shortlisting or finalising merit list or rank; and conducting fake examination, issuing fake admit cards or offer letters to cheat, for monetary gain.

This comes amid protests over allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in the examination process of NEET and the UGC-NET. The NEET controversy erupted after irregularities were reported in its results announced on June 4, while the NET was cancelled ahead of the June 18 examination over the education ministry saying its “integrity had been compromised”. 

Newslaundry earlier reported that Bihar’s teacher eligibility test has also been postponed due to “unavoidable circumstances”. Read here.  

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