Bhubaneswar: Government of Odisha has approved a draft bill to control malpractice in public examinations within the state. This bill is going to be discussed in the winter sessions of the state assembly. The bill is known as (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, that will propose to prescribe a punishment of 3-5 years imprisonment alongside a fine up to Rs 10 lakh for any dirt of irregularities during the public examinations conducted by the public service commissions and state staff selection commissions.
The offense such as bill impersonation, cheating, disrupting the examination process, leakage of information related to an exam before the scheduled time and unauthorized entry into exam halls etc would beget the examinee specific punishments as they are set as non-bailable and non-compoundable offense.
The proposed legislation is to include public examinations done by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC), Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), Service Selection Board, Odisha Police Selection Board, State Selection Board constituted under the Odisha Education (Selection Board for the State)Rules, 1992, Odisha Joint Entrance Examination, regulated by the Odisha Professional Educational Institution (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007, Departments of the State Government and their attached and subordinate offices for recruitment of staff, Selection Agencies / Committees engaged or constituted by the State Government.
The service provider shall also be to be punished being charged a fine up to ₹1 crore along with an equitable cost of examination shall also be reimbursed from the service provider. If there is a default in the payment of fine, there can be further punishment of imprisonment, as set in the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Orissa Conduct of Examinations Act was enacted by the Odisha government in 1988, to curb malpractices in examinations in the school and university levels. Nonetheless, this law specifies a punishment of three months imprisonment and a ₹500 penalty, an equitable amount of examination cost shall also be reimbursed from the offending service provider.
-OdishaAge
