India: Life Imprisonment Law Passed for Cheating in Civil Service Exams

Newstoday: A rule that makes it a crime to cheat in competitive examinations or leak papers was passed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. A life term in jail and a fine of up to Rs. 10 crores are possible penalties for violators. Test cheating is rife in India, and recent years have seen a number of examples of competitive examination papers being leaked. For instance, since 2018, test papers from at least 12 government employment tests in Rajasthan have been leaked. Recruitment of school teachers and junior clerks has been canceled at least nine times since 2014 due to paper leaks in Gujarat. In West Bengal last year question paper was shared online.  India's unemployment rate is at historic lows. In such situations, government jobs become very important for the youth.

Uttarakhand's move comes after protests against multiple paper leaks and fraud in government recruitment tests in the state capital Dehradun turned violent earlier last week.