Parliament passes bill to curb paper leaks, malpractices in competitive exams

Parliament passed a Bill on Friday (February 9) that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations and provides for a maximum imprisonment of 10 years and a fine up to Rs 1 crore. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 was passed through a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, after amendments proposed by some Opposition MPs were rejected. The Bill was previously passed by Lok Sabha on February 6.

Replying to a discussion on the Bill on the Upper House today, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the youth power of the country is “vital” and it cannot be allowed to be surrendered in the hands of a few.

"We can't allow vital youth power of this country to be surrendered or sacrificed in the hands of a handful few...Very cautiously, we have kept the



bona fide candidate out of purview of the law, be it a job aspirant or a student. So the message does not go that this new legislation is meant to harass the youth of this country. It is only meant to deter those who are playing with their future, and thereby the future of the nation," Singh said.

"I am sure the entire House, in one voice, will support this (bill)....It is a dynamic journey we have started," Singh said.

The Bill seeks to deal with iron fist the malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations with provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine up to Rs 1 crore.

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.