The Bihar Assembly passed the Anti-Paper Leak Bill by voice vote to strengthen measures against irregularities in crucial examinations. The much-anticipated Bihar Public Examinations (PE) (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, targets malpractices like the leaking of question or answer papers, which have previously resulted in the cancellation of several exams.

The Bill imposes severe penalties on those involved in such activities, including a prison term of three to five years and a fine of ₹10 lakh. Additionally, service providers, whether government entities or private agencies, found guilty of malpractice will face a ₹1 crore fine and a four-year termination of services. A portion of the examination’s total cost will also be recovered from the offending service provider.

Public examinations in Bihar are administered by entities such as the Bihar Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, and Bihar School Examination Board, collectively known as Public Examinations Authorities (PEA). The entities conducting these exams are referred to as service providers.

The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government passed the bill following a massive controversy over the NEET-UG paper leak scam. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, investigating the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, discovered that medical aspirants paid brokers sums ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹50 lakh to obtain question papers before the May 5 examination. The EOU, which took over the investigation from Patna Police, seized several documents, including bank cheques and candidate roll codes, from the accused’s flats. The accused, who operated an education consultancy firm promising to assist examinees in competitive exams, were arrested on May 5.