Public Examination Act 2024:

On 13th February, President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval to the 2024 Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill aimed at stopping cheating during government recruitment exams. The Act came into operation on 21st June 2024 amidst ongoing controversies surrounding NEET and UGC-NET exams. This new law aims at enhancing transparency, fairness and credibility in all public exams thus addressing common fears of cheating.

Background Information on the Act:

The Public Examinations Act, 2024 aims to curb the unfair means in public examinations and common entrance tests held across the country. In recent times, a series of malpractices has been observed in many public examination such as NEET and UGC-NET, these examinations are well known and reputed examination in all over India and have greater impact in the society.

The malpractices leads to massive students aggression and public outcry and it even extends to legal challenges. Therefore, there is need of act or law to prevent these types of malpractices and conducts public examination in a clearer and transparent way.

Official Notification:

As published in the Gazette of India dated 21st June 2024: “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.”

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024—the anti-paper leak law for examinations for central recruitment and entrance into central educational institutions—came into effect on Friday, June 21. pic.twitter.com/BapcieFZHa
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) June 22, 2024

Enactment of the Bill:

During the Budget session which ended on 10th February, Parliament adopted the Bill which seeks to stop cheating in public examinations through increased transparency, fairness, and credibility in the examination process.

Scope of the Act:

The Act covers examinations conducted by authorities notified by the central government, including:

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)
National Testing Agency (NTA)
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
Any other central government department and its attached offices.

Provisions of the Act:

The Act prohibits the disclosure of exam-related confidential information before time and unauthorized entry into exam centers to create disruptions. For such acts, each will attract three to five years imprisonment alongside a fine of up to ten lakh rupees. The offense is cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable under this Act.

Specific Provisions:

Some major features are as follows:

Imprisonment for Exam Malpractice: Minimum three years behind bars are mandatory for cheating in examinations, possibly up to five years when fines could rise as high as ten lakh rupees. A criminal can be sent to jail for a longer period if he or she is unable to pay off the fine.
Penalties for Service Providers: Any testing agency, that fails to exercise diligent method of conducting examination, will pay a fine not exceeding one crore rupees with a proportionate cost of the examination. Such agencies can also be debarred from running any public test within 48 months.
Senior Management Accountability: ‎Fined 1 crore rupees while being jailed for 3-10 years are the outcomes faced by senior management staff involved in malpractices.
Exemption Clause: Individuals can be exempt from penalties if they prove the offence was committed without their knowledge and that they took all possible measures to prevent it.
Organized Crime Punishment: The punishment for anyone who engages in collaboration during exams is a minimum of 1 crore rupees fine or imprisonment ranging from five up to ten years including service providers.

NEET and UGC-NET Controversies:

NEET Controversies:

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is raising concerns over its NEET-UG 2024 examinations due to allegations of malpractice. Results were released on June 4th instead of the planned date following the May 5 exam date. As a result of discrepancies noticed after the declaration, 1563 candidates notched up ‘grace marks’, which saw scores’ cancellation in this category. Those candidates were allowed to write another test on June 23rd.

UGC-NET Issues:

On the other hand, UGC-NET encountered some problems in relation with examination integrity violated issues. On June 19, examination had been conducted and immediately after that it was cancelled on the following day due to the leaked papers which was rumoured that the question papers were sold in the dark web. This occurrence led to grave concerns over integrity measures that were not effectively applied in such elevated exams.

Government's Response:

Government in reaction to these controversies has put up The Public Examinations Act 2024 in order to forestall any further incident related to paper leakages or cheat. The bill is aimed at safeguarding the sanctity of public examinations by ensuring that authentic efforts are fairly rewarded through its verdicts.

Reactions and Future Prospects:

Support from Educators:

Many educationists see this law as a step towards ensuring justice prevails among students alike across boards creating a universal platform based on merit. It is hoped that through technology driven techniques alongside proper legal frameworks practices related to exams will reduce considerably.

Concerns from Stakeholders:

Nonetheless, there are stakeholders who question whether its implementation may lead them into extra pressure occasioned by the administrative load or else they will have to undergo extensive training prior to mastering these new technologies being introduced within their purview. In terms of biometric verification compositions also speak bigot whether personal information communicated via digital channels will remain confidential.

Conclusion:

The Public Examinations Act 2024 resembles a major endeavor by Indian government to boost transparency, accountability and fairness in public examinations. By tackling the root causes of malpractices and putting in place strong preventive measures the aim of the Act is to restore trust within the examination system and protect the dreams of millions of students as well as job seekers.

The success of this Act upon coming into operation shall be hinged on its effective implementation as well as continuous monitoring. For the law’s intended benefits to be achieved, collaborations between the government, educational institutions, and stakeholders are imperative hence ushering into a more secure and just examination system of India.