Anti-Paper Leak Bill Cleared By Lok Sabha Through Voice Vote After 10 Hours Of Debate

New Delhi: The Anti Paper Leak Bill to curb paper leaks and copying mafia was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. After about 2 days of discussion and 10 hours of marathon debate, the government approved it by voice vote. Minister of State in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, in reply said that the government wants to make the examination system transparent. This law is to protect the future of the youth. The opposition created an uproar, but the bill was passed.

Why did the government call the bill important?

Dr Jitendra Singh clearly said that the biggest priority of the government is to bring back confidence in competitive examinations across the country. He said that due to paper leaks in the last few years, the hard work of lakhs of students has gone waste. Therefore now there was a need for a strong law. The minister alleged that instead of understanding the seriousness of the issue, the opposition is giving it a political colour. The government argues that action has been taken in paper leak cases earlier also, but now with the coming of the new law, the investigating agencies will have stricter provisions. This will directly hit organised copying and rigging.

How did the government respond to Rahul Gandhi's allegations?

During the discussion, Dr Jitendra Singh also responded to the allegations made by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi against Home Minister Amit Shah. He said that the claim that the home minister had given orders to open fire on the students is completely baseless. He said that in such circumstances the legal process of decision making is different and making such allegations without facts is not responsible politics. He also termed many other claims of Rahul Gandhi as wrong and said that facts cannot be ignored in public life.

On which issues did the opposition corner the government?

During the debate, the opposition prominently raised the issues of paper leak incidents, delay in recruitment examinations and students' agitation. Many opposition parties including Congress said that merely making a new law will not solve the problem, but accountability of the institutions conducting the examination will also have to be fixed. The opposition also alleged that the government failed to take effective steps in time despite the future of millions of youth being at stake.

What will happen after it is passed by voice vote?

After being passed by the Lok Sabha, the bill will now proceed through the next process of parliament. The government says that after the implementation of the law, the path to strict action in cases like paper leak, examination rigging and organised cheating will be strengthened. Besides, the investigating agencies will also get a clear legal basis to take effective action against such crimes.

Why did the uproar continue in Parliament?

Parallel to the discussion on the bill, there was continuous bickering between the ruling party and the opposition regarding student agitation, police action and political allegations and counter-allegations. Many times there was noise in the House and the proceedings were disrupted. Despite this, the government completed the discussion and got the bill passed by voice vote. This bill has become one of the most discussed bills in the current monsoon session of Parliament.