When organized cheating makes a mockery of recruitment examinations, the deserving candidates, who spend years preparing for them, are left frustrated. The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission question paper leakage scam is one such example. Many aspirants have had their career destroyed as for years papers were leaked in a well-coordinated manner benefiting those who paid money to buy question papers. This leads to the erosion of public faith in the system. Therefore the anti-cheating bill, passed recently by Parliament, is a welcome first step to tackle the menace but challenges are many, particularly in the area of enforcement.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024, containing a string of deterrent punishments for offenders, is a credible step to restore confidence in the examination system. Aimed at curtailing the unfair means in the public recruitment examinations and common entrance tests at the national level, the Act proposes a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment for paper leaks and up to ten years for cases of organized crimes. These punishments are all aimed at collusions and disruptions that may facilitate cheating. They are necessary but not sufficient.
According to media reports, at least 41 instances of paper leaks have disrupted the process of recruitment for government jobs in 15 states over the past five years. A staggering 1.4 crore applicants for about 1 lakh posts have been affected. While the central government is hopeful that the new legislation will serve as a model draft for the states, experts have raised concerns over inadequacies in enforcement machinery. The success of the proposed law will depend on how decisively the law-enforcing agencies investigate the cases and book the culprits. Credibility to the public examination system needs to be restored.