ES Reporter 
 
ITANAGAR, July 23: In a historic move to curb paper leaks in the state for all kinds of examination, the Arunachal Pradesh State Legislative Assembly today passed the Arunachal Pradesh Public Examination (Measures to Prevent Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2024".
Tabling the Bill-2024 while in the assembly, Chief Minister Pema Khandu informed that under the said Bill all offences under this Act shall be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.
CM added that any person or persons resorting to unfair means and offences under this Act, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to five years and with a fine up to one crore rupees. In case of default of payment of the fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed, as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The service provider shall also be liable to be punished with the imposition of a fine up to one crore rupees and proportionate cost of the examination shall also be recovered from such service provider and he shall also be barred from being assigned with any responsibility for the conduct of any public examination.
Where it is established during the investigation that offence under this Act has been committed with the consent or connivance of any Director, Senior Management or persons in charge of the service provider firm, he shall be liable for imprisonment for a term not less than three years but which may extend to ten years and with a fine of one crore rupees. In case of default of payment of the fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Nothing contained in this section shall render any such person liable to any punishment under the Act, if he proves, that the offence was committed without his knowledge and that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.
If a person or a group of persons including the examination authority or service provider or any other institution commits an organized crime, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than five years but which may extend to ten years and with a fine which shall not be less than one crore rupees. In case of default of payment of the fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed as per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
If an institution is involved in committing an organized crime, its property shall be subjected to attachment and forfeiture and the proportionate cost of examination shall also be recovered from it.
Further, an examinee who has been convicted of an offence under provisions of this Act shall be debarred from taking any public examinations in future.
No police officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police or Assistant Commissioner of Police shall investigate any offence committed under this Act. The State Government shall have the power to refer the investigation to any State or Central Investigating Agencies.
To strengthen the investigation, If an officer, investigating an offence committed under this Act, has reason to believe that any property represents proceeds of any offence under this Act., he shall with the prior approval in writing of the State Government make an order seizing such property, movable or immovable
CM also informed the house that as per the said Bill, if any person or Management or Institution or Limited Liability Partnership or others has been found guilty of the offence under this Act, such person or Management or Institution or Limited Liability Partnership or others shall be liable to pay cost and expenditure related to the examination, as may be determined by the State Government and such cost shall be recoverable as public demand under the provisions of Bengal Public Demands Recovery Act, 1913 as arrear of land revenue.
Bill has also power for the Constitution of the High-Level Enquiry Committee, Establishment of Grievances Redressal Cell, Constitution of Special Courts and others, informed CM to the Assembly.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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