As the Education Ministry and the National Testing Agency (NTA) grapple with allegations of paper leaks, the Centre Friday notified a stringent law that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations.
The law which came into force from Friday night (June 21) is said to entail provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby appoints the 21st day of June, 2024, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” reads the notification by the Personnel Ministry.
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This comes just a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the law ministry was framing rules about the implementation of the legislation. President Droupadi Murmu gave the go ahead to The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, making it a law in February this year. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on February 6 and by the Rajya Sabha on February 9.
The Act aims to prevent unfair means in the public examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the railways, banking recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA) among others.
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The Act also has provisions for a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating. Those involved in organised crimes of cheating will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.
Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
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Also Read | UGC-NET cancellation, NEET ‘paper leak’: Unease in Sangh, ABVP says when people ask questions, govt must answer
‘Damage control’: Congress reacts to new law
Reacting the anti-paper leak law, the Opposition Congress party has termed the Centre’s decision to implement it now as “damage control”.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post onX, said that the law was needed but it deals with question paper leaks and other irregularities after they have occurred.
“On Feb 13 2024, the President of India gave her assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means), Bill, 2024. Finally, just this morning the nation has been told that this Act has come into force from yesterday, that is June 21, 2024. Clearly this is damage control to deal with the NEET, UGC-NET, CSIR-UGC-NET and other scams,” he said.
The senior leader also added that laws, systems, processes, and procedures which ensure that leaks don’t happen in the first place are more important.
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What is the NEET, NET row about?
The move assumes significance amid a raging row over the cancellation of the 2024 University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), following prima facie indications that the integrity of the exam may have been compromised. It was cancelled just a day after over 9 lakh candidates appeared for it across 317 cities.
This alsobecame the first centrally-conducted public examination to be scrapped after the Centre introduced a new anti-paper leak law.
The education ministry’s decision is said to have come as a surprise to senior officials of the NTA, given that it was already under fire for alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET undergraduate exam, the results of which were announced on June 4.
Addressing a press conference, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took “moral responsibility” for the loss of faith among youth and students. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)
Reacting to the decision, Opposition parties hit out at the government, with the Congress saying that it was a “defeat of the arrogance of the Modi government”.
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On Thursday, the CBI registered an FIR in the matter following a complaint from the education ministry. The FIR has been registered against unknown suspects for cheating and criminal conspiracy.
What are the exams hit by paper leak allegations?
After the NEET and UGC-NET exams, the CSIR-UGC NET exam is the latest to be hit by claims of paper leaks. This exam serves as a qualifying test for determining eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and lectureship in sciences in Indian universities, making it a crucial criterion for PhD admission.
The education ministry asked the NTA on Friday to postpone the biannual exam “as a matter of abundant precaution” in light of inputs and claims that this exam, too, may have been leaked on the dark web. About 2 lakh candidates were expected to appear for CSIR-UGC NET from June 25 to 27.
The ongoing controversy could also delay the Central University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) results and cast a shadow over the undergraduate admissions calendar across Central universities, The Indian Express has learned.
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While the NTA’s information bulletin provides June 30 as the date for declaration of CUET-UG results, a senior official at the agency said that this deadline, in the present scenario, is unlikely to be met. The official added that the exam’s provisional answer key, in all probability, will only be released next week. After which, the agency will take “a week to 10 days” to release the final results.
(With PTI inputs)
