Crackdown on paper leak: Govt planning to tweak anti-cheating law by increasing jail term
The Indian government is planning to amend the 2024 anti-cheating law to introduce fast-track courts and increase jail terms for paper leak offenders. This move follows Prime Minister Modi's announcement amid ongoing protests regarding medical entrance exam irregularities.
Why it matters
It addresses systemic integrity issues in high-stakes public examinations that affect millions of students and the credibility of national testing agencies.
NEW DELHI: The central government will introduce an amendment to the law meant to prevent paper leaks and cheating in public examinations to provide for fast-track courts for paper leak cases.In the expected amendment, the government is also likely to increase the jail term for offenders from the current 10-year maximum, sources told TOI. The proposed bill will be taken up by the Cabinet this afternoon.The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which was enacted to curb paper leaks, cheating and organised malpractices in public examinations such as UPSC, SSC and NTA tests, provides for penalties, including up to 10 years' imprisonment and a Rs 1 crore fine.The proposed Bill is in line with PM Modi's late Thursday announcement that the Union Cabinet will on Friday discuss a Bill to further strengthen the anti-cheating law and ensure stricter punishment for offenders.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in