Itanagar, Jul 23 (Reporter) The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday passed ‘the Arunachal Pradesh Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2024’ by voice votes, ensuring stringent provisions in recruitment, enhancing transparency and eliminating unfair practices in public exams. The Bill, moved by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, provides for effective measures to prevent and curb the offences of leakage of question papers and use of unfair means at public examinations for recruitment to any post under the State Government including Autonomous Bodies, Authorities, Boards or Corporations. The proposed legislation would work as a strong deterrent against unfair means in public examination and also against the examinees and criminal masterminds who resort to such tactics. Besides, it has strict provisions of punishment of imprisonment and penalties, debarring of convicted candidates from appearing in recruitment examinations as well as attachment and confiscation of their property. According to the Bill, any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences would be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years, which may extend to five years, and with a fine up to Rs one crore. In case of default of payment of fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed as per provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A provision dealing with designation of Special Court for speedy trial of such offences has also been provided in the Bill, it said. Khandu told the House that the Bill was necessitated following the scandalous APPSC question paper leak case in August 2022 that rocked the state. Following this, the entire system and the Commission were overhauled and subsequently, the new Chairman and Members of the APPSC were appointed who have already prepared the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and started issuing ads for a few recruitment exams, he said. Thanking the members who wholeheartedly welcomed the Bill and put forth various suggestions, the Chief Minister said that after the passage of the Bill and Governor’s assent to the Bill, he will ask the Advocate General to go through the Act and study all the clauses and recommend any modification, if necessary, so that it can be brought in the next Assembly session. “Unless the mindset of the people is changed, any legislation or law enacted by the government will fail to create a full-proof mechanism in recruitment exams,” he added. Earlier, taking part in the Bill discussion, senior BJP member Wanglin Lowangdong suggested the state government to raise the penalty amount from Rs one crore to Rs five crore which, according to him, would act as a strong deterrent and foster “a culture of accountability”. NCP member Toko Tatung also urged the government to increase the fine and bring more stringent punishments. He sought life-term imprisonment for those indulging in such practices. The lone Congress MLA Kumar Waii suggested confiscation of property of convicted candidates’ parents and raising of imprisonment period up to 10 years. Hailing the state government for bringing the much-needed Bill, Independent MLA Laisam Simai exuded hope that it will help ensure a free and fair recruitment process and prevent offences related to question paper leaks and other malpractices. The House also passed the ‘Arunachal Pradesh Amending Bill, 2024’ following a brief discussion by voice votes. The Bill, which was introduced by Law, Legislative and Justice Minister Kento Jini on Friday, will substitute the words ‘Indian Penal Code 1860’, the ‘Code of Criminal Procedure 1973’, and the ‘Indian Evidence Act 1872’ with the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023’, ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023’, and the ‘Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023’, respectively, in 49 state Acts...////...