Jaipur : Taking a significant step amid the controversies of NEET and UGC-NET examinations, the Center has implemented a strict law to prevent paper leaks and cheating. This law was passed in February. A day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was asked about this law, the notification of ‘Public Examination Act 2024’ has been issued. Under the Act, which came into force on Friday, any person or persons found guilty of leaking the paper or tampering with the answer sheets will get a minimum jail term of three years. This can be extended to five years with a fine of up to ₹ 10 lakh. All offenses under the Act will be cognizable and non-bailable.
Apart from this, if the examination service providers are aware of the possible crime but do not report it, then they can be fined up to Rs 1 crore. During the investigation, if it is proved that any senior officer of the service provider is involved in the crime, then it can be extended to a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years. Along with this, a fine of up to Rs 1 crore can be imposed.
main point-
The ‘Public Examination Act 2024’ was passed in February
There is a provision of three to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for cheating
Legal action also on examination service provider in paper leak case
Involvement of senior officer attracts jail term up to 10 years and fine up to Rs 1 crore
If the examination authority is involved in organized crime, then there can be a jail term of 5 to 10 years and a fine of ₹ 1 crore
The law was passed in February
The ‘Public Examination Act 2024’, also known as the ‘Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024’, was passed in February 2024. It was approved by President Draupadi Murmu. The main objective of this law is to bring more transparency in all public examinations and protect competitive youth from irregularities. Cases of irregularities were reported in the teacher recruitment exam in Rajasthan, Common Eligibility Test (CET) for Group-D posts in Haryana, Junior Clerk Recruitment Exam in Gujarat and Police Constable Recruitment Exam in Bihar. In recent times, irregularities have also been reported in the NEET exam.
