Except for Hefty Fine, New Bill Against Cheating in Exams Changes Little in Haryana

Although the newly passed Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 prescribes 10 years of jail for perpetrators, which is around the same term envisaged under the Haryana's Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act-2021, it makes a difference in terms of Rs 1 crore.

Chandigarh: The newly passed Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 by the Parliament will make little difference in terms of jail sentence while it will drastically increase the fine amount for perpetrators in Haryana where a similar law is already in vogue since 2021. The Centre has passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 in a bid to prevent cheating in competitive examinations and strictly deal with the irregularities.

Under the bill, there is a provision of maximum 10 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 crore for irregularities in the examination. Even after the implementation of this new law, there will be no major difference to the existing law of the year 2021 brought in by the Haryana Government. However, except for the maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, there will definitely be a difference in the fine amount.

According to the old law of the state, the maximum punishment earlier also was seven to 10 years. According to the new law, there is a provision of maximum punishment of 10 years for the perpetrators. The Manohar Lal Khattar led BJP government in Haryana had introduced anti-cheating law Haryana Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act-2021 in the Assembly in the year 2021 to prevent paper leaks and cheating in recruitment examinations.

There is a provision of 7 to 10 years imprisonment for the person who leaked the paper. But, the fine amount was Rs 10 lakh and it was also decided to compensate for the loss by auctioning the property of the convict. But, according to the new law, the fine amount has been increased to a maximum limit of Rs 1 crore.

In Haryana, a person found copying could be sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000. Besides, paper framers, printers, agencies and duty officers were also brought under the ambit. The law came in the backdrop of cancellation of the examination of two recruitment exams due to paper leak. Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, any other authority constituted by the university, recruitment committee, municipal body, authority, board and undertaking, all were brought under its purview.