Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

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The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024
Emblem of India.svg
Parliament of India
  • An Act to prevent unfair means in the public examinations and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
CitationAct No. 1 of 2024
Territorial extent Flag of India.svg
Enacted by Lok Sabha
Enacted5 February 2024
Assented to by President of India
Assented to25 February 2024
Legislative history
Bill titleThe Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024
Bill citationBill No. 15
Introduced by Dr. Jitendra Singh
Introduced5 February 2024
Voting summary
  • Majority Voice voted for
  • Minority Voice voted against
Received from the Lok Sabha 9 February 2024
Passed6 February 2024
Voting summary
  • Majority Voice voted for
  • Minority Voice voted against
Finally passed both chambers9 February 2024
Summary
A Bill to prevent unfair means in the public examinations and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Status: In force

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 is a recently passed legislation in India aiming to curb cheating and uphold the integrity of public examinations. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The government felt the need to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, due to several concerns regarding cheating and malpractices in public examinations. [4] [5]

Instances of cheating in various public examinations, including entrance exams like State PSCs, and even school board exams, have been repeatedly reported. [6] These cases involved practices like paper leaks, organized cheating gangs, impersonation, and electronic device usage. [7] [8]

Provisions

The Act outlines several key provisions to curb cheating and promote fair conduct in public examinations. Here's a breakdown of some major points: [9] [10]

Defining Unfair Means:

Penalties and Punishments: [11]

Empowering Authorities:

Additional Measures:

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References

  1. "Explained: What is the Public Examinations Bill 2024". NDTV.
  2. "Lok Sabha Passes Bill to Check Paper Leaks in Government Recruitment Exams". The Wire.
  3. "Lok Sabha clears Bill to curb paper leaks, cheating in public exams". India Today.
  4. "Protests continue for second day over Telangana PSC question paper leak". 15 March 2023.
  5. "As Paper Leaks Rock Uttarakhand, Police's Treatment of Protesters Come as a Fresh Blow". The Wire.
  6. "Police arrests 4 accused in Madhya Pradesh Board Class 10 and 12 question paper leak case". cnbctv18. 20 March 2023.
  7. "After Rajasthan paper leak spree under Gehlot's regime, BJP's litmus test today". India Today.
  8. "Exam paper leaks: Mounting cases, aspirants affected, parties have made it an election issue". Indian Express. 6 February 2024.
  9. "Parliament Clears Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024". Live Law. 9 February 2024.
  10. "Parliament passes Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill to tackle unfair practices in public exams". Bar and Bench. 9 February 2024.
  11. "Explained: What's in the new Public Examinations Bill, aimed at stopping cheating in exams?". Indian Express. 6 February 2024.
  12. "Centre proposes law to tighten noose on examination malpractices, introduces new Bill in Lok Sabha". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2024.