Comprehension
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 that has provision for up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 1 crore for malpractices and organized cheating in government recruitment exams was notified by the Union government and came into effect from June 21, 2024. The Bill had received assent from the President of India on the 13th February 2024. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 mentions punishments for "leakage of question paper or answer key", "directly or indirectly assisting the candidate in any manner unauthorisedly in the public examination" and "tampering with the computer network or a computer resource or a computer system" as offences done by a person, group of persons or institutions. Besides these, "creation of fake website to cheat or for monetary gain", "conduct of fake examination, issuance of fake admit cards or offer letters to cheat or for monetary gain" and "manipulation in seating arrangements, allocation of dates and shifts for the candidates to facilitate adopting unfair means in examinations" are also among the offences punishable under the law.
"Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to 10 lakh," said the Act. A service provider, engaged by the public examination authority for conduct of examinations, shall also be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine up to 1 crore "and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered" from it, according to the Act. Such service providers shall also be barred from being assigned with any responsibility for the conduct of any public examination for a period of four years.
[Extracted, with edits and revisions from "Act that Punishes Organized Cheating in Government Exams Comes into Effect" published in The Hindu dated 22-06-2024]
"Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to 10 lakh," said the Act. A service provider, engaged by the public examination authority for conduct of examinations, shall also be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine up to 1 crore "and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered" from it, according to the Act. Such service providers shall also be barred from being assigned with any responsibility for the conduct of any public examination for a period of four years.
[Extracted, with edits and revisions from "Act that Punishes Organized Cheating in Government Exams Comes into Effect" published in The Hindu dated 22-06-2024]
Question: 1
A Bill becomes an Act only when:
A Bill becomes an Act only when:
Updated On: Sep 10, 2025
- Both the houses of the Parliament pass with simple majority
- Both the houses of the Parliament pass with absolute majority
- When the Prime Minister of India gives his approval
- When the President of India gives the Assent
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
In the context of the legislative process in India, a Bill becomes an Act when it receives a specific approval. The options provided outline various stages and approvals that can occur in the legislative process. Here’s a breakdown:
1. Both the houses of the Parliament pass with simple majority: This stage involves both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passing the Bill with a simple majority. However, this alone does not make a Bill an Act.
2. Both the houses of the Parliament pass with absolute majority: Passing a Bill with an absolute majority indicates broader support but still does not result in the Bill becoming an Act.
3. When the Prime Minister of India gives his approval: The Prime Minister's approval is influential but not a constitutional requirement for a Bill to become an Act.
4. When the President of India gives the Assent: The Constitution of India mandates that for a Bill to become an Act, it must receive the assent of the President. This is the final step in the legislative process, making option 4 the correct one.
Conclusion: In India, a Bill passed by both Houses of Parliament becomes an Act only after receiving the President's assent.
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Question: 2
A service provider, engaged by the public examination authority for conduct of examinations, indirectly helped his family member by giving hint on questions that were supposed to be added in the examination shall
A service provider, engaged by the public examination authority for conduct of examinations, indirectly helped his family member by giving hint on questions that were supposed to be added in the examination shall
Updated On: Sep 10, 2025
- be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine upto 1 crore
- be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine upto 1 crore and the entire cost of conduct of the examination
- be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine upto 1 crore and the entire cost of conduct of the examination
- none of the above
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Based on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, any form of malpractice, including indirectly assisting a candidate through hints on questions, is punishable. The pertinent details from the Act specify:
- Those resorting to unfair practices in public examinations can face imprisonment between three to five years.
- A fine up to ₹10 lakh may be imposed for individuals, whereas service providers like the one mentioned can be fined up to ₹1 crore.
- Furthermore, for a service provider who assists or leaks questions, the proportional cost of the examination is also to be recovered from them.
- They are additionally barred from any examination conduct responsibility for four years.
Therefore, the correct implication for the service provider in this scenario is that they would be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine up to 1 crore and the entire cost of conduct of the examination.
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Question: 3
An invigilator of a public examination found guilty of manipulating the seating arrangement to favour his relative writing the public examination is punished by the Court. Which among the following is the appropriate punishment as per the punishment mentioned in the above passage?
An invigilator of a public examination found guilty of manipulating the seating arrangement to favour his relative writing the public examination is punished by the Court. Which among the following is the appropriate punishment as per the punishment mentioned in the above passage?
Updated On: Sep 10, 2025
- Imprisonment for 1 year and a fine of 10 lakhs
- Imprisonment for 2 years and a fine of 10 lakhs
- Imprisonment for 3 years and a fine of 15 lakhs
- Imprisonment for 4 years and fine of 5 lakhs
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The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The question revolves around the consequences of an invigilator manipulating seating arrangements during a public examination. Referring to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the specific offence in question aligns with the description: "manipulation in seating arrangements... to facilitate adopting unfair means in examinations". As per the law,
"Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to 10 lakh." Thus, considering the legislative framework, the apt punishment according to the choices given is:
"Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to 10 lakh." Thus, considering the legislative framework, the apt punishment according to the choices given is:
Imprisonment for 3 years and a fine of 15 lakhs
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Question: 4
Identify which of the following is not an unfair means relating to the conduct of a public examination?
Identify which of the following is not an unfair means relating to the conduct of a public examination?
Updated On: Sep 10, 2025
- Coaching Centre conducting mock tests for students
- The Coaching Centre offering help to its students during the examination
- The Centre Superintendent of the public examination on the request of the Coaching Centre provides seating arrangement of all its students in one hall
- The Centre Superintendent of the public examination indirectly assisting the candidate
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
To determine which of the provided options is not considered an unfair means in the context of a public examination according to The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, we need to analyze each option against the criteria of malpractices outlined in the Act.
Analysis:
- Coaching Centre conducting mock tests for students: Conducting mock tests does not involve any malpractices as described in the Act. It is a legitimate educational practice aimed at preparing students.
- The Coaching Centre offering help to its students during the examination: This action would be considered as "directly or indirectly assisting the candidate in any manner unauthorisedly in the public examination," which is punishable under the Act.
- The Centre Superintendent of the public examination on the request of the Coaching Centre provides seating arrangement of all its students in one hall: Such an arrangement could potentially facilitate cheating or unfair advantage and falls under "manipulation in seating arrangements," which is considered an offence.
- The Centre Superintendent of the public examination indirectly assisting the candidate: This is a direct violation within the context of "assisting the candidate unauthorisedly," and is clearly an unfair means.
Based on the above analysis, the correct answer is:
Coaching Centre conducting mock tests for students
This option does not qualify as an unfair means under the stated Act.
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Question: 5
Who among the following is not a service provider in the context of a public examination?
Who among the following is not a service provider in the context of a public examination?
Updated On: Sep 10, 2025
- Coaching Centre which prepares students for passing in the public examination
- Printing Press where the question paper of the public examination is printed
- The Software Company that manages the website of the public examination
- The Company which scans the OMR sheets of the public examination
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
To determine who among the options is not a service provider in the context of a public examination, we need to evaluate the role each option plays in the examination process as per the legal context provided.
- Coaching Centre which prepares students for passing in the public examination: This entity provides educational services to students to help them succeed but is not directly involved in the examination’s operational processes like printing, website management, or scan processing. Thus, it does not fall under the category of a service provider in this context.
- Printing Press where the question paper of the public examination is printed: This is a service provider because it facilitates the official operation of the examination by printing the necessary materials.
- The Software Company that manages the website of the public examination: This company is a service provider as it is engaged in managing critical infrastructure for conducting examinations.
- The Company which scans the OMR sheets of the public examination: This entity provides services integral to the examination process by handling the scanning and processing of answer sheets.
Based on the roles described, the "Coaching Centre which prepares students for passing in the public examination" does not qualify as a service provider in the context of the public examination, as it offers preparatory support rather than operational services essential to the examination process.
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