The Lok Sabha witnessed the introduction of a crucial bill on Monday, spearheaded by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, aimed at combating malpractices and irregularities plaguing competitive examinations. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 proposes stringent measures, including a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years and fines up to Rs 1 crore, signaling a stern approach to tackle systemic issues.

Crucially, the legislation is designed to target not the students but rather organized gangs, mafia elements, and complicit government officials involved in malpractices. This move is prompted by recent incidents of exam cancellations in various states, such as Rajasthan’s teacher recruitment exam, Haryana’s Common Eligibility Test (CET) for Group-D posts, Gujarat’s junior clerk recruitment exam, and Bihar’s constable recruitment examination, all marred by question paper leaks.

To fortify the security of computerized examination processes, the bill proposes the formation of a high-level national technical committee on public examinations. This committee is entrusted with developing protocols for safeguarding digital platforms, creating foolproof IT security systems, ensuring electronic surveillance of examination centers, and establishing national standards and services for both IT and physical infrastructure involved in conducting exams.

Addressing the prevalent issues of organized groups, mafia elements, solver gangs, impersonation methods, and paper leaks, the bill primarily aims to act as a deterrent against such nefarious activities. The overarching goal is to instill greater transparency, fairness, and credibility in public examination systems. The legislation seeks to reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be duly rewarded, securing their faith in the examination processes.

This legislative initiative aligns with the sentiments expressed by President Droupadi Murmu during the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on January 31. Acknowledging the concerns of the youth regarding examination irregularities, the President underscored the government’s commitment to enacting a new law to address these malpractices decisively.