What Is Anti-Paper Leak Law? Rs 1 Crore Fine, Up to 10 Years In Jail; Key Details

New Delhi: The BJP-led central government is facing criticism against the NEET paper leak. The exam is conducted by the NTA for the selection of medical aspirant students. The recent development was raised after the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions issued a notification saying the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 comes into an effort which aims to prevent unfair means in public examinations and common entrance tests held across the country.

This bill was passed in two Houses of Parliament in the Budget session which concluded on February 10. The bill aims to prevent the use of  "unfair means" in public examinations and bring "greater transparency, fairness and credibility", as per ANI reports. President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval to the the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means), Bill, on February 13. The primary objective is to tackle cheating in government recruitment exams.

What Is Anti-Paper Leak Law

According to the anti-paper leak law, there are provisions for punishment for both paper leaks and the use of dummy candidates. In cases of paper leaks, offenders can face up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 crore. Those who are found guilty of taking exams on behalf of others may be sentenced to 3 to 5 years in prison and fined Rs 10 lakh.

If any institute is implicated in examination irregularities then the entire cost of the examination will be recovered from that institute and the institute's property can be confiscated as well. The notification refers to the Indian Judicial Code and specifies that the provisions of the Indian Penal Code will remain in effect until its implementation. These laws and other criminal laws are scheduled to take effect on July 1.

Will This Law Affect The Candidate As Will? 

Candidates appearing in competitive examinations are not included under the scope of this law, and there is no provision for any action against them. Union Minister Jitendra Singh highlighted this during the bill's presentation in Parliament. He said that the Anti Paper Leak Law aims to bring transparency in all public examinations and stop those who are playing with the future of the youth. Therefore, candidates have been excluded from the purview of this law.