Maharashtra set to bring in law to prevent paper leaks in competitive exams

The state cabinet has cleared a draft bill to prevent question paper leaks during competitive examinations, which moots stringent punishment for violators

Mumbai: The state cabinet has cleared a draft bill to prevent question paper leaks during competitive examinations, which moots stringent punishment for violators, including intermediaries tasked with conducting such exams. Titled the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the bill mandates a jail term of 3-5 years and a fine up to ₹10 lakh for individual violators, while institutional violators will be liable for imprisonment for 3-10 years, a fine of ₹1 crore.

All offences under the anti-paper leak law would be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable (Representational Image. HT Photo)

The bill is likely to be tabled and passed during the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature, said officials. Maharashtra would be sixth state in the country to introduce such a law, they added.

The state already has a law titled ‘The Maharashtra Prevention Of Malpractices At University, Board And Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982’ to tackle paper leaks. But it is limited to paper leaks in school, college, university exams and does not include competitive exams. The law is also quite old and does not address the use of modern technology in paper leaks, said officials.

According to the draft bill, all offences under the law would be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. Any person found involved in illegal activities related to paper leaks would be jailed for 3-5 years and fined up to ₹10 lakh. In case they default on payment of fines, an additional jail term would be imposed based on provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, said insiders.

The bill also has a provision saying if an institution/ service provider is found colluding with others, it would be treated as an organised crime. In such cases, the property of the institution would be attached and the cost of conducting the examination would be recovered from it, said officials.

The draft law has been formulated in response to the nationwide controversy over paper leaks during this year’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for undergraduates (NEET-UG). Similar controversies have erupted in Maharashtra too in recent months, including during the Talathi recruitment exam, wherein students were found scoring 214 out of 200 marks.

The issue of paper leaks during competitive exams was raised in the state assembly as well, with home minister Devendra Fadnavis saying, “We have discussed the issue with youth representatives and are bringing a law against paper leaks in competitive exams during this session.”

Fadnavis told the assembly that Maharashtra had set a record by recruiting 77,305 persons in various departments without any irregularities during the Mahayuti’s government’s two-year tenure.

“The state government had announced a recruitment drive for 75,000 vacant posts. It has already issued recruitment letters to 57,452 applicants, while another 19,583 applicants will get their recruitment letters soon. The entire process has been completed without irregularities,” he said.

The state government is in the process of hiring candidates for another 31,000 posts, for which exams would be conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), he added.