Government Introduces New Anti-Paper Leak Law Amid NEET, NET Scam, Punishment Upto 10 Years of Jail and 1 Crore Fine

New Delhi: The Central Government of India issued a notification on June 21, 2024 stating that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024 also known as the Anti-Paper Leak Law is effective from June 21 onwards. The law was introduced after allegations over the integrity of various exams including those conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. 

Recently, examinations like NEET UG 2024 (May 5, 2024) and UGC NET 2024 (June 18, 2024) were cancelled even after conducting the examinations due to paper leak allegations. The NEET PG 2024 was also postponed which was supposed to be held on June 23, 2024 as the authority found several proofs of paper leak over the dark web.

The Central Government passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 before the Lok Sabha on February 6, 2024 and the Rajya Sabha on February 9, 2024. The President of India, Draupadi Murmu approved the bill on February 12, 2024, converting it into law. Amid allegations of malpractices during various competitive examinations specially conducted by the NTA, the government issued the notification promptly and implemented the law all over India. 

The law applies to all the public examinations conducted by central government bodies like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), railways, banking and the National Testing Agency (NTA).

What Are the Legal Provisions for the Anti-Paper Leak Law?

The legal provisions of the new Anti-Paper Leak Law 2024 are as follows:

• The law mandates a minimum imprisonment of three to five years for individuals found guilty of cheating in public examinations.
• Those involved in organised cheating crimes will face five to ten years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of INR 1 crore.

What Are the Objectives of the Anti-Paper Leak Law?

The Central Government of India introduced the law having the following objectives:

• Curbing unfair means in public examinations.
• Dismantling organised gangs and institutions engaged in exam-related fraud for monetary gain.
• Protecting genuine candidates from the adverse effects of cheating and paper leaks.
• Ensure a fair and transparent examination process.
• Enhancing the credibility of public examinations.

However, there is no specific meaning of “unfair means” and offences in public examinations conducted by the central government and its agencies in this law. As the law has already come into effect on June 21, the recent paper leak issues are expected to be solved and the accused individuals and groups will get proper punishment as per the new Anti-Paper Leak Law 2024.

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• NEET PG 2024 Exam Date (Postponed): Check Registration, Admit Card, Result, Cut-off Date
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