A Bill seeking to deal with malpractices and irregularities in competitive exams with iron fist, having provisions for as long as 10 years of jail term and a fine up to Rs 1 crore was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday (February 5). The Bill, named as ‘The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024’ was tabled by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in the Lower House in the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament. The proposed law is not meant to target the students, but will act against organised gangs, mafia elements and those indulging in malpractices and will not even spare government officials found in collusion with them.
The move comes against the backdrop of cancellation of several competitive exams like the teacher recruitment exam in Rajasthan, Common Eligibility Test (CET) for Group-D posts in Haryana, recruitment exam for junior clerks in Gujarat and constable recruitment examination in Bihar following question paper leaks.
Here are the key points of the Bill:
- The Bill proposes a high-level national technical committee on public examinations that will make recommendations to make the computerised examination process more secure.
- The committee will lay down the protocols for insulating digital platforms, devising ways and means for developing foolproof IT security systems, ensuring electronic surveillance of examination centres and formulating national standards and services for both IT and physical infrastructure to be deployed for the conduct of such examinations.
- The Bill seeks to deter the nefarious elements from being involved in malpractices to deploy solver gangs, or use impersonation methods and indulge in paper leaks.
- The Bill aims to bring to the fore greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems, while also reassuring the youth that their hard work and genuine and sincere efforts will not go in vain and will be rewarded, and their future is safe.
- 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 proposed 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 ten lakh rupees," the bill read.
- 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 Rs 1 crore "and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered" from it, according to the bill's provisions.
- 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, it says.
- The bill covers recruitment examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) and National Testing Agency (NTA) among others.
President Murmu on youths
Addressing a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session on January 31, President Droupadi Murmu had said the government is aware of the concerns of the youth regarding irregularities in examinations.
"Therefore, it has been decided to enact a new law to deal sternly with such malpractices," she had said.
(With PTI inputs)
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