New Anti Cheating Bill Passed in Lok Sabha: Check Highlights

The Lok Sabha passed an Anti Cheating Bill named Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 to prevent government recruitment test fraud including paper leaks. 

• It has provision of a minimum 5 to 10-year prison sentence and a minimum fine of ₹ 1 crore for collaborating with authorities to leak test papers or tamper with answer sheets.

Highlights of New Anti Cheating Bill

Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, cheating in exams is considered an offense and carries a minimum sentence of three to five years in jail and It has provision of a minimum 5 to 10-year prison sentence and a minimum fine of ₹ 1 crore for those who organised the crime of cheating.

Objective and Context of the Anti Cheating Bill

• The government aims to enhance the transparency, fairness and trustworthiness of the public examination systems. 
• They want to ensure that young people feel confident about their future and that their hard work will be recognized and rewarded appropriately. 
• To achieve this goal, the government has introduced the Piloting the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 which is designed to safeguard the rights of deserving candidates and students.

Purpose of Bill

• The central government has introduced a Bill with the aim of promoting fairness, transparency and equity in public testing programs. 
• The Bill seeks to deter individuals, organized groups or institutions that engage in unfair practices that adversely impact the public examination systems for their own gain. Cheating during open exams often leads to delays or cancellations which can negatively impact the prospects of millions of youth. 
• The Bill intends to address unethical practices used or offenses committed by different organizations engaged in the central government and its agencies’ public inspections. 
• After the national law is passed, state governments may introduce their measures to ensure compliance with the law.

Constitutes cheating or unfair practice

The newly passed anti-cheating bill has established methods that are considered unfair and subject to punishment.

Among them are:

- Leaking question papers and answer keys

- Participating in a group that disseminates answer keys or question papers

- Gaining unauthorized access to question papers or answer sheets

- Violating the rules and regulations of public exams

- Creating fraudulent websites to deceive or make a profit

- Using fake admit cards, test results, or offer letters to deceive or make a profit

Now what’s the Next?

The next step for the Bill is its presentation in the Rajya Sabha. If it passes the Upper House, it will then go to the President for final approval. Moreover, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944, has made unfair examination practices a criminal offense