Cheating In Public Exams Can Now Mean 10 Years In Jail, 1 Crore Fine

The Lok Sabha passed an 'anti-cheating' bill today, called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, in an attempt to curb malpractices in public examinations. The Bill is targeted at the prevention of paper leaks in government recruitment exams like UPSC, Railways, NEET, JEE, and CUET. It entails a stringent punishment of up to 10 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 crore if caught cheating. The Bill will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha and, when cleared, presented to President Droupadi Murmu before it becomes law.

The Bill's purpose is to "bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems and to reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their future is safe," it states. The Bill adds, "The Bill is aimed at effectively and legally deterring persons, organised groups or institutions that indulge in various unfair means and adversely impact the public examination systems for monetary or wrongful gains."

Anti-Cheating Bill Passed In Lok Sabha

Reportedly, a high-level technical National Technical Committee on Public Examinations will be set up to make recommendations to make the examination process as secure as possible, be it online or in person. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill lists 20 specific offences and unfair means, ranging from leaking questions, and impersonation, to tampering with documents.

The Bill excludes candidates engaging in malpractices and rather seeks to punish officials and organisations responsible. Service provider firms engaging in cheating could face fines of up to $120,000 coupled with the recovery of examination costs and a ban from conducting public exams for up to four years.

During the commencement of the Budget Session on January 31, President Droupadi Murmu highlighted the government's acknowledgement of concerns regarding exam regulations. She affirmed the need for a stern approach to malpractices, announcing the Bill's introduction to address these issues comprehensively.

What Are The Punishable Offences Under This Bill?

The Bill entails a specific list of offences liable to punishments of at least three years (up to 10 years) in jail and a hefty fine. The Bill includes a comprehensive list of malpractices.

• Conducting fake examinations, issuance of fake admit cards or offer letters to cheat or for monetary gain.
• Manipulation in seating arrangements, shifts, and allocation of dates. The Bill states that these practices could facilitate candidates to adopt unfair means in examinations.
• The creation of fake websites to cheat or for monetary gain.
• Threatening the life, liberty or wrongfully restraining persons associated with the public examination authority or the service provider or any authorised agency of the government; or obstructing the conduct of a public examination.