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Himachal enforces strict new law against paper leaks, organised cheating in recruitment exams

CHANDIGARH: Himachal Pradesh has brought into force one of the countrys strictest laws to curb paper leaks and organised cheating in recruitment examinations, making offences such as paper leak, organised cheating and facilitation of copying non-bailable and cognizable. Individuals involved will face a minimum of three years imprisonment, extendable up to five years, and fines of up to Rs 10 lakh. For agencies conducting the examinations, penalties can go up to Rs 1 crore. The Himachal Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2025 which received Governor Shiv Pratap Shuklas assent stipulates that agencies found guilty will not only pay heavy fines but will also bear the proportional cost of the compromised exam and be barred from conducting any public examination in the state for four years. Directors, managers or employees of such firms may face imprisonment ranging from three to ten years. Cases under the Act will be investigated by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police or above, and the state government may also hand over investigations to specialised agencies when required. A notification bringing the law into force was issued by the Law Department in the state gazette on Friday. The state assembly had passed the bill in September before sending it to the Raj Bhavan for assent. Himachal Pradesh has witnessed several high-profile exam leak scandals in the past decade, including the junior office assistant (JOA-IT) paper leak linked to the Hamirpur Staff Selection Commission, where an organised network allegedly sold question papers to candidates. The police constable recruitment exam too had been hit by irregularities, triggering widespread criticism and calls for reform. The Staff Selection Commission was dissolved after the scandals and later reconstituted. These repeated incidents have fuelled political clashes between the ruling Congress and the BJP, with both parties accusing each other of mismanaging recruitment processes. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has maintained that the government is committed to restoring credibility to public examinations and that no one involved in manipulating the system will be spared.