Why in the News
The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 seeks to strengthen the 2024 law against organised cheating and examination paper leaks amid concerns over NEET and recruitment examination irregularities.
What is the Public Examination Act, 2024?
- Objective: Criminalises organised cheating, paper leaks, impersonation and other unfair means.
- Coverage: Applies to major public examinations conducted by bodies such as UPSC, SSC and NTA.
- Penalties: Provides imprisonment and heavy fines for organised examination malpractice.
- Focus: Targets organised networks rather than genuine candidate errors.
Why was it amended?
- Exam-leak crisis: Repeated paper leaks and irregularities exposed weaknesses in examination governance.
- Enforcement gaps: Strengthening was considered necessary after experience with the 2024 framework.
- Public trust: Fair examinations are essential for merit-based recruitment and equal opportunity.
What does the crisis reveal?
- Aspiration-opportunity gap: Large numbers of candidates compete for limited government jobs.
- Institutional trust deficit: Repeated leaks undermine confidence in recruitment institutions.
- Governance challenge: Legal punishment alone cannot ensure examination integrity without secure technology, accountable agencies and speedy investigation.
Prelims Pointers
- Act: Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024
- Ministry/Department: Department of Personnel and Training
- Targets: Organised cheating, paper leaks and impersonation
- Important distinction: The Act does not automatically cover all university or State board examinations unless the concerned government adopts the framework.
“[2024, GS2, 15] What are the aims and objects of the recently passed and enforced, The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024? Whether University/State Education Board examinations, too, are covered under the Act?”
[2021] With reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements:
1. N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar Committee suggested that a minister and a secretary be designated solely for pursuing the subject of administrative reform and promoting it.
2. In 1970, the Department of Personnel was constituted on the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission, 1966, and this was placed under the Prime Minister’s charge.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] 1 only
[B] 2 only
[C] Both 1 and 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2