Examine the effectiveness of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 in curbing paper leaks. What further institutional reforms are needed?

Q. Examine the effectiveness of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 in curbing paper leaks. What further institutional reforms are needed? (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 February 2024 — was India's first dedicated central law against organised paper leaks, covering UPSC, SSC, Railways, banking recruitment and all NTA computer-based tests [1]. Its record since shows real deterrent value but limited preventive reach.

Where the Act has worked - Strong penal deterrence: 3–5 years imprisonment for cheating; 5–10 years plus a minimum ₹1 crore fine for organised malpractice, with offences cognizable and non-bailable [1]. - Targets the supply chain, not victims: candidates are expressly kept outside the penal provisions, so the law pursues leak organisers, insiders and coaching-mafia facilitators [1]. - Uniform national standard: replaces a patchwork of state rules with one framework across recruitment and entrance tests [1].

Where it falls short - Post-facto, not preventive: it punishes leaks after trust is destroyed; the NEET-UG 2024 row and the resulting CBI referral occurred despite the Act being in force [2]. - Institutional capacity gap: the Act does not reform the National Testing Agency, created by Cabinet approval in 2017 to conduct entrance tests scientifically [3]; its structure, data-security protocols and grievance redressal needed a separate expert committee under Dr. K. Radhakrishnan in June 2024 [4]. - Enforcement depends on states, where police capacity and forensic follow-up are uneven, and conviction outcomes remain slow.

Reforms needed - Technology-led integrity: encrypted question-paper transmission, biometric/Aadhaar-style candidate authentication and full computer-based testing — the mandate of the high-powered task force under Nandan Nilekani announced on 26 July 2026 [5]. - Autonomy with accountability: professionalise NTA staffing, audit centre empanelment, and publish outcome data. - Standing oversight: a permanent examination-integrity regulator and fast-track courts for leak cases.

The 2024 Act supplied the legal spine; institutional and technological muscle must now follow. Examination credibility is ultimately a question of equality of opportunity under Article 16, since leaks hurt rural and first-generation aspirants most. A prevention-first system — secure by design, transparent in audit — can restore the trust that penalties alone cannot.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. Lok Sabha passes 'The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024' — passage date, scope (UPSC/SSC/Railways/NTA), penalty slabs, exclusion of candidates 2. Ministry of Education entrusts alleged irregularities in NEET (UG) 2024 to CBI — leak recurrence despite the Act 3. Cabinet approves Creation of National Testing Agency (NTA) — NTA's 2017 creation and mandate 4. Ministry of Education constitutes a High-Level Committee of Experts to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations — NTA structure, data security and grievance-redressal review 5. Prime Minister announces constitution of high-powered task force on examination reforms — task force under Nandan Nilekani, 26 July 2026 (PIB Release ID 2289657; document page not independently reachable)