Jharkhand Govt. will bring Anti-Copying Law

• 24 Jul 2023

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on July 23, 2023, the Jharkhand government is enacting an 'Anti-Copying Law' to prevent incidents of paper leaks and copying (malpractices) in competitive examinations. The proposal for law-making has been prepared on the lines of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttarakhand. This proposal can be approved in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

Key Points:

• According to the proposal, those found guilty of leaking the paper can be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
• If found guilty of cheating in examinations, the concerned student is also being punished with imprisonment of up to three years. The guilty student can also be fined up to Rs 1 lakh and banned from appearing in examinations for the next two years.
• It is known that at present 'Jharkhand Exam Conduct Rule-2001' is in force in the state. Under this, there is a provision for minor penalties for paper leaks and cheating in examinations. The maximum punishment for the offender is six months in jail and a fine of up to Rs 3,000.
• Once the new law is approved by the Assembly, any printing press, service provider, coaching institute or management found guilty of cheating or leaking question papers will not only be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, but their property will also be confiscated.
• The anti-counterfeiting law was passed in 1992 by the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and education minister Rajnath Singh.
• The law aims to curb the practice of mass cheating in school and university examinations in the state.
• The Act made the use of unfair means in examinations a serious offence and was non-bailable and allegedly allowed the police to enter the examination premises to carry out investigations. However, in 1993 the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party governments cancelled it the following year.