Bhubaneswar, November 13: The Odisha Cabinet has on Wednesday approved the Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, aimed at curbing malpractice in government service exams, said Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja .
This new legislation, announced on Wednesday, seeks to address various forms of examination misconduct, including impersonation, cheating, exam disruptions, unauthorized entries, and premature leaks of exam information.
The Act will cover examinations conducted by key state bodies such as the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) , Odisha Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission(OSSSC) and Odisha Police Selection Board (OPSB), among others. It will also apply to exams administered by state departments and affiliated offices, with provisions for extending the Act to other authorities as needed.
All offences under this law will be considered cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. Offenders will face jail terms from three to five years and fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Additionally, service providers found complicit in malpractices could incur penalties as high as Rs 1 crore, with costs for rescheduled exams recoverable from them. Failure to pay fines may lead to additional imprisonment as per the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita- BNS, 2023.
