The Chhattisgarh Assembly on Friday (March 20, 2026) unanimously passed a Bill to curb the use of unfair means in public examinations conducted for recruitment and admission to higher educational institutions in the State.
Titled the ‘Chhattisgarh (Lok Bharti evam Vyavsayik Parikshao me Anuchit Sadhano ki Roktham) Vidheyak, 2026’, the legislation came amid scrutiny of some recruitment processes conducted by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission in recent years.
“Candidates found guilty of malpractice will have their results withheld and will be barred from appearing in public examinations for a minimum of one year, extendable up to three calendar years,” the Bill stated.
The Bill also prescribed imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to ₹1 crore for specified violations. However, after the ban period, candidates would not be permanently disqualified from future examinations or public employment.
For persons other than candidates involved in such offences, the Bill prescribed stringent penalties, including imprisonment ranging from three to 10 years and fines of up to ₹10 lakh.
“Violations such as unauthorised possession or disclosure of question papers, illegal entry into examination centres, misuse of locations, or tampering with evaluation records will attract imprisonment of one to five years and fines of up to ₹5 lakh,” it stated.
Service providers and institutions found guilty could face fines of up to ₹1 crore, recovery of examination costs in proportion to their involvement, and debarment from conducting public examinations for at least three years.
A service provider, according to the Bill, meant any agency, organisation, body, association of persons, business entity, company, partnership, or sole proprietorship firm — including its subsidiaries, subcontractors, and ancillary providers of any computer resource or material, by whatever name called — that had been engaged by the public examination authority to conduct a public examination.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said in the House that the legislation sent a strong message to those involved in examination-related malpractices. Referring to alleged irregularities in recruitment processes and scams that surfaced during the Congress regime, he said the previous government had “crushed the dreams of youth”.
Published – March 21, 2026 02:19 am IST
