The bill will cover competitive exams conducted by UPSC, SSC, Railways, banking recruitment exams and all computer-based exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said during the discussion on the Public Examinations Bill 2024 in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that students and candidates will not come under the ambit of the proposed law to prevent malpractices in examinations. The bill to crack down on malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations was introduced in the House on Monday, which provides for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
Intervening in the discussion, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said, “We have not brought students or candidates under the ambit of this law. This law has been brought against those who tamper with this examination system.”
House passes bill by voice vote
Replying to the debate on the bill in the Lok Sabha, Jitendra Singh clarified that neither students nor candidates come under the ambit of this law and the message should not be sent that candidates will be harassed by it. He said that this bill is above politics and is related to the future of the sons and daughters of the country. After the minister’s reply, the House passed the bill by voice vote.
Referring to the statement made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member Kathir Anand during the debate in the House, he said that the Tamil Nadu MP accused the government of discriminating against students on the basis of language.
The Union Minister said that for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has started conducting Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and other examinations in 13 languages, including Tamil, and it is expected that all 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule will be conducted. Recruitment examinations will be conducted in languages. He said this did not happen even when the DMK party was in the UPA government.
Separate strict law needed to prevent malpractice in exams
When some opposition members raised questions on the need for a separate strict law against malpractice in exams, Singh said such provisions are not mentioned separately in the Indian Judicial Code, hence a separate law has been brought. He said that while framing the rules of the law, the government plans to constitute a committee of experts who will update it from time to time based on technology and augment the information.
The bill states, “Leaking of question paper or answer key, directly or indirectly assisting a candidate in a public examination in any unauthorised manner and tampering with computer network or computer resources or computer system shall be punishable by any person.” by groups of people or institutions.”
All exams are under the ambit of the law
The bill will cover competitive exams conducted by UPSC, SSC, Railways, banking recruitment exams and all computer-based exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
To prevent cheating, there is a provision of imprisonment of at least three to five years and five to ten years for those involved in such organized crime. The proposed law provides for a fine of at least Rs 1 crore.
