Bihar passes Bill to curb paper leaks, lays down stringent punishment

The Bihar Assembly on Wednesday passed the Bihar Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024, laying down provision for three to 10 years of imprisonment with a fine that can go up to Rs 1 crore. This comes against the backdrop of instances of paper leaks in constables, teachers and, most recently, the NEET-UG examinations emanating from the state. The Bill was presented in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, and passed by the Upper House in the Bihar Legislature on Wednesday. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed opposition for creating rukus in the house.

Bihar: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Congress in the legislative assembly over Bihar's special status, says, "The commotion being created today and yesterday is meaningless" pic.twitter.com/tVzjddyK0M

— IANS (@ians_india) July 24, 2024

The new legislation aims at curbing malpractices in competitive examinations, including the leak of question papers, in the state which, incidentally, has been at the centre of the NEET 2024 question paper leak controversy.The Bill stipulates severe punishment for those involved in such malpractices, including a prison term of three to five years and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.  It also has a clause for attaching the properties of those found guilty and makes it difficult for people arrested for exam irregularities to get bail. 
Bihar has seen several paper leaks for state-level tests and gangs from the state have also been found involved in leaking papers or tampering with the examination process for national entrance exams. The state's paper leak bill follows the notification of a central law last month.