Assam: Three years jail term for cheating in exams, new Bill tabled in Assembly

Assam cabinet on February 5 introduced the 'Examination Bill' on the first day of Budget Session of 15th Legislative Assembly.

As per the contents of the Bill, cheating during examinations will lead to 3 years in jail along with not less than Rs 1 lakh fine. The punishment for leaking examination paper will attract Rs 10 lakh to Rs 10 crore fine and upto 10 years prison term.

Reports indicate that a new bill has been introduced to tackle exam malpractices by imposing strict penalties for cheating and leaking of question papers.

The government is reportedly taking a hard line against the unauthorized distribution of question papers, an issue that severely affected students appearing for the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) exams last academic year. The bill stipulates that candidates will not be permitted to possess question papers without authorization. Other malpractices, such as selling question papers and aiding candidates during exams, will also be penalized.

Printing of question papers for examinations can now only be conducted in government authorized presses, as per a new regulation.

The bill applies to all government examinations, including Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), Gauhati High Court, State Level Recruitment Commission (SLRC) direct recruitment for Grade III and IV examinations, among others. The rule will also extend to HSLC, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) examinations, and more.

This development follows the resumption of the budget session of the Assam legislative assembly, which was briefly interrupted due to disruptions by opposition parties, leading to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria cutting short his opening remarks.