Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jul 23: The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed two bills on Tuesday: the Arunachal Pradesh Amending Bill 2024 and the Arunachal Pradesh Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill 2024.
The Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment Bill received thunderous support from legislators of all parties, with many praising Chief Minister Pema Khandu for introducing this much-needed legislation to safeguard future generations from malpractices and unfair means in state competitive examinations.
In tabling the bill for consideration, Chief Minister Pema Khandu thanked legislators for their active participation in the discussions. “Your active participation in the discussions has been instrumental in advancing these important reforms. Together, we remain committed to working towards a more transparent, fair, and progressive governance framework in our state,” CM Khandu exhorted.
CM Khandu referred to the paper leakage fiasco in the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission incident as reflecting our societal mindset and a collective failure of the state. He called for a change in societal mindset, stating, “No matter how strong a law we enact, no law can provide foolproof security until and unless society changes its mindset,” appealing to society to change its mindset towards such malpractices in competitive examinations.
“Through this bill, the government aims to enact stringent laws to deal with offenders. This bill comprises five chapters with 27 sections. The act imposes stringent penalties for offenses related to impersonation, leakages, and malpractices in Chapter II of the act,” he informed the house.
“As per Section 11, all offenses under this Act shall be cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable,” CM added.
When members suggested increasing penalties from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore and increasing imprisonment terms from three years to life imprisonment, the Chief Minister clarified that the proposed bill includes more stringent sections and clauses than any state and central acts regarding preventive measures against unfair means.
He informed the house that while the central act provides for a penalty of Rs 10 lakhs, the proposed bill proposes a penalty of Rs 1 crore. The central act lacks a debarment clause in case of offense; however, under Section 14 of the bill, an examinee convicted of an offense under this act shall be debarred from taking any future public examinations.
He also noted that the central act does not mention a redressal cell or a high-level inquiry committee, whereas the proposed bill includes both. “However, since members have suggested that the penalty amount should be increased and more stringent clauses added, our intention is clear. All 60 members and the younger generation want this Act to be introduced to deal with such malpractices. The Advocate General will be consulted for amendments if necessary,” CM added.
Law, Legislative, and Justice Minister Kento Jini informed the house that the Arunachal Pradesh Amending Bill 2024 was necessitated in the Assembly due to the repealment or replacement of three major acts: the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act (IEA) in parliament.
“The new laws introduced include the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replacing the IPC 1860, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 replacing the CrPC 1899/98/1973, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023 replacing the IEA 1872,” the minister informed.
“These three central laws introduced in 2023 represent a significant overhaul of India’s criminal justice and judicial delivery system, replacing colonial-era legislations. Due to the replacement of these three central laws, we have brought forth the present Amending Bill 2024, amending a total of 49 local laws,” Jini said.
Quotes of the day
# “Yeh bill pass hoga toh Arunachal ka new generation humein yaad karenge,” Laisam Simai supporting the Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment Bill 2024.
# “Sir ye ek aadmi ka jaan nehi leh rha hai, balki sare umeedwar ka jaan leh raha hai,” Toko Tatung calling for provision of stringent punishment or penalty against violators in prevention of unfair means.
# “Jab pucha hai toh simple reply dene se nei hoga. Agar satisfied reply nei dega toh next Assembly session mein bhi puchega,” Kumar Waii seeking details on allocation of Panchayati Raj Institution in 15th finance commission.
# “Yeh jo corruption mein paper leaked hota hai isko toh check karna padega. Yeh sabko toh hum boxing marke check nei kar sakta hai, rassi banke check nei kar sakta hai,” Honchun Ngandam.
# “Koi socha tak b nei tha Public Service Commission mein ish parkar ka incident hoga,” CM Pema Khandu while introducing the bill for consideration.
