What’s in the news?

• The Central government has notified The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the anti-cheating law passed by Parliament in February. 

Key Provisions of the Act

Exams covered by the law:

• Public examinations refer to examinations conducted by authorities specified under the Schedule to the Act, or notified by the central government.  
• These include: 

(i) Union Public Service Commission, 

(ii) Staff Selection Commission, 

(iii) Railway Recruitment Board, 

(iv) National Testing Agency, 

(v) Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, and 

(vi) Departments of the central government and their attached offices for recruitment.

Offences in relation to public examinations:  

• The Act defines several offences in relation to public examinations.  
• It prohibits collusion or conspiracy to facilitate indulgence in any unfair means.   
• It specifies unfair means to include: (i) unauthorised access or leakage of question paper or answer key, (ii) assisting a candidate during a public examination, (iii) tampering with computer network or resources, (iv) tampering with documents for shortlisting or finalising of merit list or rank, and (v) conducting fake examination, issuing fake admit cards or offer letters to cheat, for monetary gain.  
• It also prohibits: (i) disclosing exam-related confidential information before time, and (ii) unauthorised people from entering exam centres to create disruptions.  

Punishment:

• • Above offences will be punishable with imprisonment between three and five years, and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.
  • An offence by a service provider will be punishable with a fine of up to one crore rupees. 

• A service provider is an organisation that provides computer resources or any other support to a public examination authority.  
• Proportionate cost of examination will also be recovered from such a service provider. Further, they will also be barred from conducting public examinations for four years.
• All offences under the Act shall be cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable.

Organised crimes:  

• • The Act specifies a higher punishment for organised crimes.  

• An organised crime is defined as an unlawful act committed by a person or a group of persons to further a shared interest for wrongful gain in relation to public examinations.  

• Persons committing an organised crime will be punished with imprisonment between five years and 10 years, and a fine of at least one crore rupees.