News Analysis India

Tag: Paper leak

  • UP Brings Ordinance To Curb Paper Leaks, Offenders To Face Life Imprisonment |

    Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday cleared an ordinance to prevent question paper leaks and use of unauthorised means in exams, awarding jail term of two years to life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 1 crore.
    The move comes following recent incidents of question paper leak in the state police constable recruitment exam and public service commission test for review officers and assistant review officers.

    The ordinance was given a go ahead at a state cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Finance minister Suresh Khanna told reporters. Under the ordinance, those arrested for question paper leak would face a jail term ranging from two years up to life imprisonment, Khanna said at a press meet after the cabinet meeting. Fines of up to Rs 1 crore would also be imposed on such offenders, he added.

    The minister said the ordinance includes exams of state public service commission, Subordinate Service Selection Board, Uttar Pradesh Board, universities and institutions nominated by them. It will also be applicable on any kind of recruitment examinations, regularisation or promotion examinations, entrance examinations for degree-diploma certificates or educational certificates, he added.

    Under this ordinance, distributing fake question papers and making fake employment websites have also been marked as punishable offences, Khanna said. He said in case the examination is affected, the financial burden will be recovered from the “paper solving gang” and the institution. The service providers who commit irregularities in the examination will be permanently blacklisted and their property could also be confiscated.

    All the offences under the ordinance are cognizable, non-bailable and they can be heard in the sessions court. Strict provisions have also been made with regard to bail, he added. The minister also informed that since the assembly is not in session at present, an ordinance has been proposed in place of a bill. After the cabinet approves the proposal, the process of the ordinance will be completed and it will be implemented.

    He stated that the ordinance is being introduced in response to its urgent necessity and will be enacted under the provisions of the Constitution. The move also comes at a time when the issue of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams is raging in the country.

  • Enforcing law against paper leak mere whitewash: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

    New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday termed the enforcement of the anti-paper leak law a “whitewash” and asserted that the BJP cannot evade its responsibility in “promoting corruption and education mafia”. The Centre on Friday night operationalised the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

    In a post in Hindi on ‘X’, the Congress president claimed that 70 question papers were leaked in the last seven years and sought to know why the BJP has taken no action so far.

    “No matter how much effort BJP makes in the NEET scam, it cannot escape its responsibility in promoting fraud, corruption and education mafia,” Kharge said. He said the law against paper leaks got the President’s assent on February 13 this year but was notified only on Friday night.

    “When the education minister was asked about it in the press conference, he had said the law was notified… Why did the Education Minister of the Modi Government lie that the law has been notified when the Ministry of Law and Justice had yet to frame the rules?” Kharge asked.

    He said the Union education minister first denied the paper leak and after arrests were made in Gujarat, Bihar, and Haryana, he said the exam will not be cancelled since papers were leaked locally in some places. “The fact is that in 2015, 44 students were involved, yet the Pre-Medical Test was held again for six lakh candidates on the orders of the Supreme Court,” the Congress president said. He said that on NEET too, the Supreme Court has said if there has been even 0.001 fraud, then action should be taken.

    “Why is the Modi government not conducting the exam again even though the education minister has admitted to the irregularities?” Kharge posed.

    “In nine days, NTA has cancelled or postponed three major exams. Even after passing the law, the leak of the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board’s (UPPRPB) exam paper in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh has been found to be linked to a Gujarat company,” he said.

    The Congress president asked, “Why are (question) papers still being leaked despite a law being passed against it? When 70 papers were leaked in the last seven years, why did the Modi government not take any strict action against it?”

    “Bringing a new law is merely a whitewash by the BJP. Unless the education system and autonomous institutions are freed from the interference and negative influence of BJP-RSS, this fraud, theft and corruption will continue,” Kharge said.

    The National Testing Agency, which conducts the competitive exams, on Friday, announced the postponement of the June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test, citing unavoidable circumstances and logistic issues.

    It came two days after the agency cancelled the UGC-NET examination within 24 hours of its conduct saying the integrity of the exam had been compromised, and a massive row on NEET over alleged irregularities, with the issue now before the Supreme Court.

  • NEET cancellation: “When will NEET be cancelled?”: Congress urges PM Modi to “take responsibility” for stopping paper leak

    New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row over NEET-UG 2024, the Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take responsibility for stopping the paper leaks.

    Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X referred to the cancellation of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) as a “victory of spirit” of millions of students.

    He further said that it was the “defeat of the Modi government’s arrogance.””You “discuss exams” a lot, when will you “discuss the NEET exam”? Cancellation of the UGC-NET exam is a victory of the spirit of millions of students. This is the defeat of the arrogance of the Modi government due to which they made a despicable attempt to trample the future of our youth,” Kharge said in the post.

    “The Union Education Minister had earlier said that no paper was leaked in NEET. When arrests are made of the education mafia in Bihar, Gujarat and Haryana, the Education Minister accepts that some scam has taken place! When will the NEET exam be cancelled?” he asked.

    “Modi Ji, please take the responsibility of stopping your government’s rigging and paper leak in NEET exam too!”Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi asked if at least now the accountability be decided.”The laxity and corruption of the BJP government is fatal for the youth. After the news of the scam in NEET exam, now the NET exam held on June 18 has also been cancelled due to the fear of irregularities,” Priyanka said in a post on X.

    “Will accountability be fixed now? Will the education minister take responsibility for this lax system?,” she said.

    The Ministry in a statement on Wednesday said that the issue related to grace marks has already been fully addressed in the matter pertaining to the NEET(UG) -2024.

    The Ministry of Education has sought a detailed report from the Economic Offences Unit of the Bihar Police over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET(UG) examination-2024 in Patna.

    It further reiterated that any individual/organization found to be involved in the NEET (UG) Examination 2024 matter, will face the strictest action.

    Earlier on June 18, the Supreme Court told the Centre and NTA that if there is any negligence in conducting the NEET-UG, 2024 exam, it should be thoroughly dealt with.

    Several petitions were filed in the apex court seeking direction to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the examination afresh, alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the test held on May 5. Aspirants have raised the issue of leakage of the question paper, awarding compensatory marks and anomalies in the question of NEET-UG 2024.

  • Paper Leak Case: Yogi Govt Removes UP Police Recruitment Board Chief Renuka Mishra, IPS Rajeev Krishna Gets Charge

    The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday removed UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board chairperson Renuka Mishra after the paper leak incident.