Bill to curb exam malpractices likely to be tabled in Parliament on Feb 5

New Delhi: The government is likely to introduce a new bill in Parliament next week to deal sternly with malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations, with provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine up to Rs 1 crore.

Sources said the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 may be introduced on Monday but a final call is yet to be taken. The bill was cleared by the Union cabinet recently.

The sources said students will not be a target of the proposed law. It 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 a series of competitive tests such as 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.

The bill also proposes a high-level national technical committee on public examinations that will make recommendations to make the computerised examination process more secure.

The committee shall look into developing 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 conduct of such examinations.

The sources said that in many instances, it has been observed that organised groups and mafia elements involved in malpractices deploy solver gangs, use impersonation methods and indulge in paper leaks.

The bill primarily aims to deter such nefarious elements.

The objective of the bill is to bring in greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems and to reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their future is safe.

Earlier in the day, addressing a joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, President Droupadi Murmu 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 said.