10 years in jail, Rs 10 crore fine: New Bihar bill aims to curb document leaks | Explainer

Bihar has become the epicentre of a document leak during the investigations related to the NEET-UG 2024 exams. Following which, the state government has decided to put an end to such unfair means and has passed a rather stringent bill to curb malpractices in government exams.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Wednesday introduced the Bihar Public Examinations (PE) (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024. The bill was approved by a show of hands despite a walkout by the opposition. The walkout was called to protest the denial of special status to Bihar.

What is the Bihar Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill?

The Bihar Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices) Bill introduces strict measures against examination-related fraud, including severe punishment for individuals and organisations involved in such activities. The bill provides for stringent penalties, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 1 crore for those found guilty of examination malpractices.

One of the notable features of the bill is the provision to seize the assets of offenders and impose strict bail conditions on those arrested in connection with examination fraud.

The bill mirrors the central Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which came into force on June 21, 2024. The national law imposes a minimum imprisonment of three years for those found guilty of leaking examination papers or altering answer sheets, with a potential extension to five years and fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.

Under the national law, all offences are classified as bailable and non-bailable offences. Examination service providers are also held accountable; those who fail to report known offences are liable to fines of up to Rs 1 crore. Senior officials of such organisations involved in criminal activities are liable to imprisonment for a term ranging from three to ten years and a similar fine.