The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Centre’s amendment Bill aimed at preventing malpractices in public examinations, amid loud protests by opposition parties. The legislation seeks to tighten action against those involved in leaking question papers for national-level competitive exams.
The government has proposed stringent punishment for exam fraud and paper leaks, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 10 crore. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 27 by Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, repeatedly disrupted proceedings, demanding a discussion on alleged police action against students during protests. The issue had also led to disruptions in both Houses through the previous week.
During the debate, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi made allegations linked to protests over the NEET paper leak, prompting strong objections from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Jitendra Singh. Rijiju demanded that Gandhi substantiate his claims or apologise in the House, while Singh said orders related to firing are not issued by ministers and asserted that there was no firing, only tear gas.
As the exchanges escalated, Speaker Om Birla asked members to confine remarks to the Bill and said unparliamentary words would be removed from the record. The Bill was eventually passed by voice vote before the House was adjourned.
