"Parliament Introduces Stricter Penalties and Fast-Track Courts for Examination Fraud"
Cognizable Offence
police can arrest without a warrant; all offences under the 2024 Act are cognizable
Non-Bailable Offence
bail is not a matter of right; the court has discretion to refuse it
The integrity of public examinations in India has been a persistent governance challenge. Paper leaks, impersonation rackets, and organised cheating syndicates have repeatedly undermined merit-based selection in Union and State recruitment processes, eroding public trust in institutions and causing immense harm to aspirants. Before a dedicated central statute existed, examination-related offences were prosecuted under general provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly the Indian Penal Code) — covering cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy — and under state-level anti-cheating laws where they existed. This patchwork framework proved inadequate against technology-enabled, cross-border paper leak networks that operated with commercial sophistication.
In response to acute national outrage following large-scale irregularities in several high-stakes examinations, Parliament enacted the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which came into effect on 21 June 2024. This was India's first dedicated central statute criminalising unfair means in examinations conducted by specified public examination authorities. The Act made all offences cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable, mandated investigation by officers of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank or above, and established minimum sentences to signal institutional seriousness. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, now introduced in the Lok Sabha, proposes to significantly escalate this penal framework — an acknowledgment that the original deterrence was considered insufficient in the face of continuing organised malpractice.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 covers examinations conducted by five specified central authorities: the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), and the National Testing Agency (NTA), along with examinations conducted by Central Government Ministries and Departments for recruitment purposes. The Central Government may also notify additional authorities. The Act targets a wide range of offences — question paper leakage, impersonation, tampering with answer sheets, organised cheating networks, and collusion by service providers — and treats them as serious criminal offences rather than mere administrative irregularities.
The original Act prescribed imprisonment of three to five years and fines up to ₹10 lakh for individuals resorting to unfair means. For service providers found complicit, fines of up to ₹1 crore and debarment from conducting examinations for up to four years were provided. For organised crime involving syndicates, the minimum imprisonment was five years, extendable to ten years, with fines up to ₹1 crore. …
With reference to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, consider the following statements:
1.The Act covers examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, Railway Recruitment Boards, IBPS, and NTA.
2.Offences under the Act are cognizable, bailable, and non-compoundable.
3.The Act came into force on 21 June 2024.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 proposes which of the following changes to the parent Act of 2024?
1.Increasing the minimum imprisonment for organised examination crime from five years to seven years.
2.Raising the maximum fine for service providers from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore.
3.Mandating completion of investigation within three months and trial within two months.
4.Doubling the debarment period for service providers from four years to eight years.
Select the correct answer using the code below:
Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, what is the proposed maximum fine for individuals found resorting to unfair means in public examinations?
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