Lucknow: Social activist Amitabh Thakur has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to establish a state-level special monitoring cell dedicated to investigating paper leaks. The demand, conveyed through a letter to the Chief Minister and the Advocate General, seeks to ensure time-bound investigations and prompt prosecution of culprits to restore public faith in the examination and recruitment processes.
Thakur, a former Indian Police Service officer and leader of the Azad Adhikar Sena, highlighted that the frequent question paper leaks in recent years have raised serious concerns about the future of millions of youth and the credibility of recruitment exams. He pointed out that despite the government’s stated ‘zero tolerance’ policy, many old cases remain pending for years.
As an example of the prolonged pendency, Thakur cited the 2006 Railway Recruitment Examination paper leak case, which reportedly involves two MLAs from the ruling National Democratic Alliance. He noted that affidavits submitted by current MLAs Bedi Ram and Vipul Dubey before the Election Commission indicate that such serious cases can remain unresolved for nearly two decades.
In his letter, Thakur urged the state government to conduct a comprehensive review of all question paper leak cases. He also called for special oversight from the investigation stage through to prosecution, and for periodic public disclosure of the progress made in these cases.
The demand for a special monitoring cell comes amidst growing public concern over examination irregularities. The Congress party has also called for a White Paper on irregular recruitments and paper leaks in the state, emphasizing the need for accountability. Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh has questioned the government’s response to repeated paper leak incidents, stating that systemic flaws in the examination process remain unaddressed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that the central government is preparing a comprehensive law with stricter provisions and punishments for examination paper leak cases. He stated that further measures against paper leaks would be considered by the Union Cabinet.
Uttar Pradesh has been implementing various measures to curb malpractices in examinations. The state government has expanded the use of surveillance systems, digital monitoring tools, QR-coded answer sheets, CCTV cameras, and centralized control rooms. The Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Ordinance, promulgated in June 2024, provides for jail terms ranging from two years to life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 1 crore for those involved in paper leaks. Offences under this ordinance are cognizable and non-bailable, and are tried by sessions courts.
Despite these measures, the issue of paper leaks continues to plague recruitment and examination processes, leading to demands for more robust oversight and accountability mechanisms. The state government has also focused on ensuring the integrity of recruitment exams by emphasizing the use of government or funded educational institutions as examination centres, equipped with CCTV cameras in every room and located only in urban areas.
The Chief Minister’s office also has a Special Monitoring Unit (SMU), established in 2014, which supports government departments in tracking and ensuring the timely completion of key initiatives. While the SMU’s mandate is broad, focusing on project progress and problem-solving across various sectors, the specific demand from Thakur highlights the urgent need for a focused approach to address the persistent issue of examination paper leaks.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
