New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, with ruling party MPs supporting the legislation as a step towards curbing examination paper leaks, ensuring transparency and restoring confidence among the youth.
However, Opposition members criticised the Bill, alleging that it focuses mainly on punishment after offences occur rather than addressing the root causes behind examination leaks and strengthening the examination system.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill is an important step towards making the law stricter, adding that the government is working on reforms to ensure transparency in examinations and build confidence among the youth.
Speaking to ANI, Jaiswal said, “This is a very important step. The law will have to be made stricter… The charge sheet will be filed within 2 months, and the judgment will come within 3 months… We are also working on reforms. Everything will remain transparent… It is our responsibility that the youth should not have any doubt about the transparency of any examination…”
Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary said the Bill aims to empower the youth by ensuring justice through fast-track courts and building confidence in a robust and transparent examination system.
“A comprehensive legislative draft has been formulated to empower the youth… The aim is to ensure that youth receive justice through fast-track courts and gain confidence in a robust and transparent examination system… It has been passed by the Lok Sabha and is set to move to the Rajya Sabha tomorrow,” Chaudhary said.
Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske said, “Today marks a major blow to those responsible for leaking exam papers–such as the NEET exam–and serves as a stern deterrent. This bill has been enacted to ensure severe punishment for those who engage in such activities.”
Additonally, BJP MP Anurag Thakur criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the use of the word “idiot”, saying that if the remark was directed at a student, the BJP strongly objects to it. However, he said there would be no objection if Gandhi used the word for himself.
“… If Rahul Gandhi has used the word idiot for a student, we have strong objections. If he has used the word idiot for himself, we have no objection. Rather, we welcome it. It’s better late than never that he has realised, acknowledged, and uses the word for himself,” Thakur said.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, however, criticised the Bill, saying it would not resolve the underlying issues behind examination paper leaks and that broader reforms were required in the examination process and the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
He also called for a probe into the handling of protests by law enforcement agencies, saying any breach of protocol should invite departmental action.
“The Bill has been passed, but it is not going to solve the problem at hand, which is about the exam paper leak. This does not strengthen the process of setting exam papers and issuing them on the day of the exam. All this Bill does is impose a stricter punishment after a leak has happened, and after an investigation… Setting up fast-track courts has never reduced the incidents of crime, and they even require infrastructure, while the Bill does not talk about how they will set up infrastructure. The real reformation should be on the NTA, which is mandated to run these exams… In reality, a private company called Innovative View is actually outsourcing most of the activities that run the exam, which is also the root of all the confusion. The Parliament must ask for an investigation into this company… The youth of the country have been let down,” Chidambaram said.
He also raised concerns over the handling of student protests and demanded an inquiry.
“No civilised and mature country uses brutal force against its own people… If there is any breach in the protocol in the way in which the protest was handled by law enforcement, a full-fledged investigation must take place and departmental action must happen.”
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal also criticised the Bill, saying it would not provide any significant relief and called for stricter measures to tackle examination paper leaks.
He also questioned the action taken against protesters and demanded clarity on the orders behind the lathi-charge and firing.
“The Leader of the Opposition wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable; we simply wanted to know on whose orders the lathi-charge and firing took place… Members of the ruling party used abusive language and prevented the Leader of the Opposition from speaking… The bill already contains provisions for punishment and fines; if someone leaks a paper, what difference does it make to that individual whether the penalty is a Rs 10 crore fine or 5 to 10 years in prison? We demanded that the burden of proof be placed on the accused–requiring them to prove their innocence. We also suggested that narco-analysis and polygraph tests be included as direct measures for any suspect taken into custody… I do not believe this bill will yield any significant benefit,” Beniwal said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh welcomed the passage of the Bill but questioned whether convictions would be possible without sufficient evidence being presented before fast-track courts.
“It’s fine that it has passed. Everyone wants the strictest possible law to be made. My question is that only when evidence comes before the fast-track court will the fast-track court give punishment. The CBI goes and says about Sanjeev Mukhiya (the main accused in the NEET paper leak 2024) that we have no evidence. The main accused in the NEET paper leak 2024 has been acquitted. Tomorrow we will raise all these issues,” he said. (ANI)
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