Mumbai, July 5: Amid raging controversy over NEET paper leaks, the Maharashtra government on Friday tabled a Bill in the Assembly titled the 'Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024' with stringent penalties for those found guilty of unfair means and malpractices.

The Bill, presented by Minister Shambhuraj Desai, has been crafted along the lines of The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024.

The offences under the Bill shall be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.

The Bill aims to prevent unfair means in the competitive examinations, bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility and reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their future is safe.

The Bill proposes stringent actions against individuals, organised groups or institutions that indulge in various unfair means and adversely impact the competitive examination system for monetary or wrongful gains.

Any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but may extend to five years with a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.

The service provider shall be liable to be punished with the imposition of a fine up to Rs 1 crore and proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered from such providers and they shall be barred from being assigned with any responsibility for the conduct of any competitive examination for four years.

Further, an impression for a term not less than three years to be extendable to 10 years and with a fine of Rs 1 crore is proposed for the offence committed with the consent or connivance of any director, management or the persons in charge of the service provider firms.

If a person or a group of persons, including those belonging to the competitive examination authority or service provider or any other institution, commits an organised crime, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than five years which may be extended to 10 years and with fine not less than Rs 1 crore.

--IANS

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