Bihar Takes Action Against Exam Cheating
In a significant move to tackle cheating and other malpractices in government recruitment exams, Bihar has introduced a new law. On Wednesday, July 24, State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary presented the Bihar Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, in the Bihar assembly. The bill was passed with a voice vote, signaling unanimous support from the assembly members.
The new law includes strict punishments to deter cheating in exams. Offenders can face imprisonment for three to ten years and may be fined up to Rs 1 crore (approximately $120,000). All offenses under this law will be considered serious, with no option for bail.
This law comes in the wake of a similar national law introduced by the union government earlier this year, called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Individual states in India have the authority to create their own laws related to education, and Bihar’s new law is an effort to address ongoing issues specific to the state.
NEET Paper Leak Controversy
Bihar has been in the spotlight due to a major controversy involving the leak of the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) question paper. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police discovered that medical aspirants had paid between INR 30,00,000 and 50,00,000 each to obtain the question papers before the May 5 examination. The EOU seized documents, including bank cheques and candidate roll codes, from those involved in the scandal.
A spokesperson for the Bihar government stated that the recent NEET-UG paper leak was the main reason for introducing the new law. The state government faced significant embarrassment due to the involvement of the Nalanda solver gang in the scandal. Earlier this year, the government had to cancel the teachers’ recruitment examination because of another paper leak.
The Bihar Public Service Commission Mains examination in 2022 was postponed due to similar allegations of a paper leak. Additionally, the constable examination in 2022 was cancelled following accusations of cheating. These incidents highlighted the urgent need for stringent measures to prevent exam malpractice.
With this new law, the Bihar government aims to send a strong message to the public. They want to show that they are serious about tackling cheating in exams, bringing justice to the victims, and punishing those responsible for these malpractices. The government hopes that the strict penalties will act as a deterrent and help restore integrity in the examination process.
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