New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, marking the final Parliamentary approval for legislation aimed at strengthening measures against paper leaks in public examinations.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who holds charge of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, was present in the House as the Bill was cleared.
The Bill, introduced earlier in the day by Jitendra Singh, was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after a nearly seven-hour debate.
In the Upper House, the discussion saw interventions from both sides, with the government defending the amendments as a necessary step to deter the paper-leak mafia through higher penalties, designated courts, and time-bound trials.
The financial penalty has been enhanced to Rs 10 crore, with provisions for imprisonment and fast-track proceedings.
Jitendra Singh, while piloting the legislation, informed the House that the amendments reflected the government’s willingness to learn from the experience of the 2024 law. He noted that 52 FIRs had been registered since the original Act came into force and that suicides linked to paper leaks had declined.
The passage of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha now paves the way for it to receive presidential assent and become law.
The debate in the Upper House witnessed sharp exchanges, with Opposition members criticising the National Testing Agency and demanding structural reforms.
At the same time, treasury benches highlighted the government’s sensitivity towards students, the resignation of the former Education Minister, the constitution of a task force under Nandan Nilekani, and the swift cancellation and re-conduct of compromised examinations.
With the anti-paper leak Bill now cleared by both Houses, the government is expected to notify the amended provisions at the earliest. The ruling side is projecting the legislation as a comprehensive response to recurring examination malpractices.
At the same time, the Opposition continues to demand broader systemic reforms in the conduct of public examinations and greater accountability from the agencies involved.
–IANS
sktr/dan
