Amid allegations of paper leaks, the Education Ministry and the National Testing Agency (NTA) are addressing challenges. The Centre introduced a stringent law on Friday to combat malpractices and irregularities in competitive exams. Effective from Friday night (June 21), the law imposes a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.
“As per the authority granted by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government has designated the 21st day of June, 2024, as the effective date for the enactment of the provisions outlined in the aforementioned Act,” states the notification issued by the Personnel Ministry.
This development follows Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s recent statement that the Law Ministry was in the process of drafting rules for implementing the legislation. President Droupadi Murmu approved The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, turning it into law earlier in February this year. The legislation was passed by the Lok Sabha on February 6 and by the Rajya Sabha on February 9.
The objective of the Act is to curb unfair practices in public examinations conducted by various bodies, including the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), railway exams, banking recruitment tests, and the National Testing Agency (NTA), among others.
The legislation also stipulates a minimum prison term of three to five years to deter cheating. Perpetrators engaged in organized cheating activities will face imprisonment ranging from five to ten years, along with a mandatory fine of Rs 1 crore.
Prior to this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to address unfair practices or offenses committed by entities involved in organizing public examinations conducted by the Central Government and its agencies.
Following the NEET and UGC-NET exams, the CSIR-UGC NET exam is the most recent to be marred by allegations of paper leaks. This examination serves as a qualifying test to ascertain eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and lectureship in the sciences at Indian universities, making it a critical factor for PhD admission.
On Friday, the Education Ministry requested the NTA to postpone the biannual exam “as a matter of abundant precaution” due to concerns and allegations suggesting that this exam may have been leaked on the dark web. Approximately 2 lakh candidates were anticipated to sit for the CSIR-UGC NET exam scheduled from June 25 to 27.