Bihar Passes Bill Against Paper Leaks Amid High-Pitch Drama; Provisions Of Up To 10 Years Jail, Rs 1 Crore Fine

After the NEET-UG breach was found to have taken place in Bihar, the state legislature passed the Bihar Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 on Wednesday (24 July).

The bill has provisions of imprisonment of three to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore. All offences will be cognisable and non-bailable and the act.

The Bill was tabled in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. It witnessed a high-pitch drama before being passed by the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

The Opposition staged a walkout over the Nitish Kumar-led government’s failure to stop "solvers gangs" in the last two decades. The Bihar Chief Minister responded with 'sab haye haye' to the Opposition's slogans.

The recent paper leaks in the constable and teacher recruitment examinations promoted the Kumar government to bring the bill. The most recent trigger was the NEET-UG breach, as per an official.

"The state government was left embarrassed because of the involvement of the Nalanda solver gang in the NEET-UG case," the official said adding about the cancellation of teachers' recruitment examination in the wake of a paper leak.

The Bihar Public Service Commission Mains exam for 2022 had to be rescheduled due to a suspected paper leak. Additionally, the constables' exam for 2022 was cancelled for the same reason.

The Centre recently notified the stringent Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024. Passed in February, the law aims to prevent paper leaks and cheating in public examinations.