Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 gets cabinet approval, accused can be arrested for five years with a fine upto Rs 10 lakh

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Cabinet which met today under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi approved a bill to curb cheating in each and every examination conducted by the State government.

The Odisha Cabinet approved the Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to curb cheating in examinations and any person involved in such act shall be punished with imprisonment ranging three to five years and with fine up to ten lakh rupees.

This apart, the service provider shall also be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine up to Rs 1 crore and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered from such service provider.

According to a press note issued by the Cabinet, in order to prevent various forms of unfair means such as impersonation, cheating, and disrupting the examination process, leakage of information related to an exam before the scheduled time, unauthorized entry into exam halls etc. and to maintain the integrity of public exams conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission, Odisha Staff Selection Commission, Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission, Service Selection Board, Odisha Police Selection Board, State Selection Board constituted under the Odisha Education (Selection Board for the State)Rules,1992, Odisha Joint Entrance Examination, regulated by the Odisha Professional Educational Institution (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007, Departments of the State Government and their attached and subordinate offices for recruitment of staff, Selection Agencies / Committees engaged or constituted by the State Government, and all such other authority as may be notified by the State Government from time to time, an Act namely Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Deans) Act, 2024 is proposed to be framed.

“All offences under this Act, shall be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences, shall be punished with imprisonment ranging three to five years and with fine up to ten lakh rupees. The service provider shall also be liable to be punished with imposition of a fine up to one crore rupees and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered from such service provider. In case of default of payment of fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed, as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,” the note read.

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