Centre had already notified anti-paper leak law in 2024
What's the story
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill to impose stricter punishments for question paper leaks, just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the matter would be taken up at a Cabinet meeting. The proposed legislation amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and comes amid rising tensions over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, particularly the NEET-UG examination.
Bill details
Existing Act provides jail terms, fines for organized cheating
The existing 2024 Act already provides for jail terms of five to 10 years and a minimum fine of ₹1 crore for those involved in organized cheating.
The 2024 Bill also details 15 illegal acts, including leaking question papers and tampering with OMR sheets, creating fake websites and issuing fake admit cards.
The Centre had brought the law in 2024 when it was facing the heat amid raging paper leak controversies.
Bill
The Bill was notified in June 2024
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, was notified in June 2024, when tensions were high owing to alleged NEET and NET paper leaks.
Before this act, there was no explicit substantive law to address unfair means or violations perpetrated by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
Protest impact
Protests over NEET-UG examination escalate
The draft bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament next week.
According to TOI, the bill also seeks to increase the minimum imprisonment for convicted individuals from the current three years to five years.
The proposed changes come in the wake of ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability for exam irregularities, reforms in the education system, and ₹1 crore compensation to families of students who died by suicide.
Ongoing negotiations
Talks between government, CJP representatives
On Friday, Union ministers Jitendra Singh and JP Nadda held talks with CJP representatives, with the discussions described as positive.
After a meeting with senior government ministers, the CJP said the government has asked "for time till tomorrow afternoon on our demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation."
However, reports suggest that the resignation of Pradhan is unlikely.
The government feels "resignation is the easiest decision to take," sources told NDTV, adding that it "stands with the minister."