New Delhi: Job aspirants on Tuesday welcomed the move of the Central government after it introduced a bill, Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, to curb cheating and other unfair means in various public examinations.
In the absence of specific law regarding cheating in the exams, hardworking and honest examinees have to face various problems, including exam cancellation, monitory dent and precious time loss.
“Once this Bill is enacted as an Act, job seekers like me will be happier as this Act will help to control cheating in entrance exams. Due to unfair exams, honest examinees don’t get a fair chance in the selection process,” said Megha Sharma, who is preparing for a medical exam in Delhi.
Echoing similar sentiments, several other job seekers who are preparing for entrance exams in various places across the country are now confident that once the bill becomes Act, it would help to provide fair ground for all in the selection process.
Expressing his views on a new Bill introduced in the Parliament due on-going the Budget Session, Vansh Kumar Singh, who is preparing for entrance exams, said, “Anti-cheating bill will help to stop use of unfair means to clear exams. Several times in the past, we have seen that exams got cancelled because of paper leak, cheating and unfair use of gadgets. We feel pain whenever exams got cancelled as it wastes our honest efforts and precious time.”
In the past, paper leak and cheating cases were noticed in several states including Jharkhand, Bihar and Rajasthan.
Any unfair means in examinations will be punishable by law once enacted. The aim of the bill is to bring transparency, fairness and credibility to the examination systems.
As per proposed bill, in the chapter III of punishment for offences mention, all offences under this Act, shell be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine up to ten lakh rupees.
In case of default of payment of fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed, as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Ujjwal Kashyap, who is preparing for the entrance exam, said, “Lakhs of candidates appear in the entrance exam and most of these students belong to middle-class families who spend a hefty amount on coaching fee, books and accommodation during preparation but when they come to know about the cancellation of the exam because of cheating at that situation they feel pain but this new Bill is new ray of hope for them.”
The bill stated if a person or a group of persons including the examination authority or service provider or any other institution commits an organised crime, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than five years but which may extend to ten years and with fine which shall not be less than one crore rupees. In case of default of payment of the fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
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