Tougher anti-paper leak Bill cleared
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved an amendment Bill to the existing Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, meant to prevent paper leaks and cheating in public examinations and to provide for fast-track courts for paper leak cases.
The Bill is expected to be tabled in the Parliament on Monday. Parliamentary affairs minister, Kiren Rijiju, said PM Modi had directed that there should be no delay in bringing the Bill. “We are preparing to present the Bill, but after you receive the briefing on our Cabinet decision, we will inform you about our timing. The Prime Minister has said that there should be no delay in the Bill we are bringing regarding students. The country also wants what the Prime Minister has said, so it would not be right to resort to any tactics to obstruct it... Congress will fall into this if they continue to disrupt the parliamentary proceedings. We are taking important steps for the future of the students,” Rijiju said.
During a briefing on Cabinet decisions on Friday, information and broadcasting minister Ashwani Vaishnaw was asked several queries about the Government’s plan for strict actions against paper leaks and move for constituting a fast-track court, but he did not to answer them.
The move comes after PM Modi’s late-night video message promising more action, amid nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and demands for stricter safeguards to protect the integrity of exams.
According to sources, the proposed legislation provides for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore. It also seeks to increase the minimum imprisonment for individuals convicted in paper leak cases from the current three years to five years.
The Bill is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that indulge in unfair means for monetary gains, while protecting the candidates from its provisions.
The proposal comes amid a political storm over the alleged NEET paper leak and repeated disruptions in Parliament, with the Opposition demanding accountability and a discussion on examination irregularities.
PM Modi in a video statement on Thursday night promised more action would follow on Friday in paper leak cases. He refrained from attacking the Opposition or referring to those trying to harm the nation’s future, as he has done in previous speeches. He focused almost entirely on students’ anxieties. He acknowledged the distress caused by the paper leak, assured students that those responsible had been arrested and jailed and stressed that the Government’s immediate priority was to ensure that no student lost an academic year.
The video, which has garnered nearly 20 million views, however, drew sharp reactions as well. Many users demanded that the PM directly address the role of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the police action against CJP leaders.
PM Thanks Students
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday thanked students for their positive response to his video message on measures to tackle paper leaks. His remarks came amid protests over the NEET controversy. Modi said the government would introduce a bill in Parliament next week to impose stricter action against those involved in paper leaks. He said guilty persons had been arrested and steps were taken to ensure students did not lose a year.
