The anti-cheating bill, the first of its kind, was introduced in parliament. In Lok Sabha, it was passed on February 6th, and in Rajya Sabha, it was passed on February 9th through a voice vote.
The Public examinations Bill, 2024, has been introduced to curb paper leaks. The main aim is to bring transparency, credibility, and fairness to the public examination system. The offences convicted under this bill are cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. The Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances, Jitender Singh, stated during the debate on the bill that this bill is dedicated to ‘Youth of India’.
Which types of exams are covered under this bill?
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, covers the exams conducted by:
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
The Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
The Railways Recruitment Board examinations (RRB)
National Testing Agency(NTA)
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET)
Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)
Common University Entrance Test (CUET)
Offences that are punishable under this bill:
There are around 20 offences that are recognized and punished under this bill. A few of them are:
Leaking question papers or answer keys, colluding with others to leak question papers or answer keys, Accessing or possessing question papers or Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) response sheets without authorization, providing solutions to questions during a public examination without authorization, assisting candidates in any unauthorized manner during a public examination, tampering with answer sheets, including OMR response sheets, Altering the assessment of answer sheets without authorization, Violating norms or standards set by the central government for conducting public examinations, Tampering with documents used for shortlisting candidates or finalizing merit lists, Deliberately violating security measures to facilitate unfair means during a public examination, Tampering with the computer network or a computer system related to the examination, Manipulating seating arrangements or exam schedules to facilitate unfair means, Threatening or obstructing individuals associated with the public examination authority or service provider, or hindering the conduct of a public examination, and others.
Penalties imposed under this bill:
Individuals engaging in unfair practices in public exams face imprisonment ranging from 3 to 5 years, along with a substantial fine of up to ₹10 lakhs. Furthermore, exam providers may be subjected to fines of up to ₹1 crore. In cases where an employee of the examination authority is found guilty of conspiring to commit the crime, they could face a minimum fine of ₹1 crore and a maximum jail sentence of 5 years, with the possibility of an additional 10 years. These measures aim to safeguard the integrity of public exams and ensure a fair and impartial environment for all participants.
The bill aims to tackle cheating in public examinations by implementing stringent measures and penalties. It proposes establishing a National Technical Committee to develop secure IT systems and electronic surveillance in exam centers. Investigations will be conducted by senior police officers or central agencies. The inclusion of state examinations in the bill's ambit is justified as education is a concurrent subject.