Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a legislation to curb the “Paper Leak or playing Unfair Means in Public Examination” by extending the jail term from five to ten years and a fine up to Rs 10 crore to convicts.

After a debate for about two hours with legislators cutting across party lines, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal told the House, “The 2022 Bill titled “Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022” is amended to prevent and curb the offences of leakage of question papers and use of unfair means at public examinations for the purpose of recruitment to any post under the state government including autonomous bodies, authorities, boards or corporations”.

Under the Bill’s new provisions, it will be a cognizable and non-bailable offence, and the ten years imprisonment could be extended to ‘life imprisonment’ and seizure of property and assets of the accused would be effected, when found guilty, the minister said.

According to the minister, the existing sub-section (2) of section 10 of the aforesaid Act provides that if any person, including examinee, whether entrusted or authorized with the conduct of public examination or not, in conspiracy or otherwise indulges or attempts to indulge in unfair means or contravenes or abets to contravene any of the provisions of this Act, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than five years but which may extend to imprisonment of ten years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs. 10 lakh rupees but which may extend to Rs. 10 crore rupee.

Therefore, the minister said, “The state government is of the opinion that minimum term of imprisonment of five years be increased to ten years and maximum term of imprisonment of ten years be increased to imprisonment for life”.

Dhariwal rejected the Opposition BJP’s demand to refer all paper leak cases to CBI.

In the debate, the Leader of Opposition (BJP) RS Rathore demanded a Judicial Commission to deal with such paper leak case accused who were released on bail in recent cases should be brought back on production warrant, and there should be a coaching centre regulation mechanism to curb such incidents of paper leak.