The Bihar assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to curb instances of paper leaks and malpractices in government recruitment exams, stipulating penalties of three to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh, even as the Opposition staged a walkout over the non-implementation of a law that enhanced caste-based reservation before it was struck down by the Patna high court earlier this year.
Economic Offences Unit officials leave with the accused arrested in the NEET paper leak case, in Patna, on Sunday. (PTI)
The passage of the Bihar Public Examinations (PE) (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 by voice vote in the House came at a time when Bihar is embroiled in a raging controversy over paper leaks during key examinations, including the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), which has led to the arrest of 25 people by the Central Bureau of Investigation and state police.
The legislation was moved by state parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary amid a walkout by the Opposition.
Speaking in the House, Chaudhary said the legislation was introduced “with the future of lakhs of young men and women in mind”.
He also hit out at the Opposition, saying: “What problem can the Opposition have if such elements who tamper with the exam system are booked? This is sad, but the people are watching..”
Speaking to reporters later, Chaudhary said: “We have said in the House that there is a need to make a strict law against the malpractice or use of unfair means in examinations. You all know that right now, the issue of NEET has reached the Supreme Court. It is true that today there is a need to restore transparency and credibility in public examinations. Those who use unfair means play with the future of the intelligent, hardworking students of our state. You must have seen that in this bill, strict rules have been made against those who commit such irregularities.”
As per the provisions of the legislation, those found involved in malpractices can face a prison term of three to five years and a penalty of ₹10 lakh. Service providers, a term used to describe agencies entrusted with conducting such tests, could be slapped with a fine of ₹1 crore besides debarment of services for up to four years and even attachment of properties, Chaudhary said in the House. A portion of the total cost of conducting such an examination will also be recovered from the offending service provider, he added.
The bill also provides for up to 10 years of prison, ₹1 crore fine and confiscation of property if the involvement of organised gangs is established.
The minister said the investigating officers in such cases shall “not be below the rank of a deputy superintendent of police”.
RJD MLA and former minister Lalit Yadav said: “We did not participate in the passage of the bill, though we had moved amendments. When the government was not ready to listen to our demand on reservations, there was no point participating in the debate on the bills. The chief minister was speaking about what he wanted to do, but what we were highlighting was what he could not do.”
The state was earlier in the news for paper leaks during the Bihar Public Service Commission’s (BPSC) Teachers Recruitment Exam in March. The exam was cancelled by BPSC later and conducted again this month.
In February, Parliament passed a bill that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations.
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