The Himachal Pradesh government is preparing to introduce a strong new law to stop paper leaks and cheating in public exams. The law will be presented during the monsoon session of the state assembly, which will be held from August 18 to September 2, 2025. This session will have 12 sittings, making it one of the longest in recent years. Two days — August 21 and 28 — are set aside for work by non-official members.
On the first day of the session, the assembly will meet at 2 PM, and members will begin with obituary references to pay tribute to public figures who have recently passed away.
The main highlight of the session will be the introduction of the Himachal Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2025, aimed at tackling exam cheating, especially paper leaks that have occurred in the past few years.
The draft of the new law was recently approved during a four-day cabinet meeting. It proposes strict punishments for anyone found involved in selling, buying, or copying exam question papers. Offenders could face up to three years in jail for such actions. In some cases, this could increase to five years along with a fine of up to ₹10 lakh.
The bill also targets service providers—companies or agencies responsible for conducting public exams. If they are found guilty of negligence or helping in cheating, they could be fined up to ₹1 crore, and the cost of the entire exam will be recovered from them. These companies will also be barred from conducting any exam for the next four years.
The law is even stricter if it is proven that the senior management or directors of the service provider were involved. In such cases, those individuals could face a minimum of three years in jail, which may extend up to 10 years, and a fine of ₹1 crore.
Government officials say this bill is necessary to protect the future of young people in the state and to ensure fairness and transparency in competitive exams.
The move follows several high-profile cheating cases in recent years. In June 2025, a cheating racket was busted during the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable recruitment exam, where students were promised passing marks in exchange for money. The exam, held on June 15, was conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission. Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for unfair practices.
This wasn’t the first time exam papers were leaked. In 2022, another police recruitment exam was hit by a leak, and in March 2024, the CBI filed two chargesheets against 88 people in connection with that case. Earlier in 2019, the use of illegal Bluetooth devices was also reported during recruitment tests.
The opposition party, BJP, is planning to question the government on several issues during the monsoon session. These include the reintroduction of the lottery system, the handling of disaster relief, and unfulfilled promises related to jobs and development.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the lottery system is not in the public interest. He claimed that the decision to restart lottery operations was influenced by a powerful lobby and that a “big scam” could be happening under its cover.
Thakur also criticized the government for its slow disaster response after recent floods and heavy rains. He mentioned that in his own constituency, the damages have crossed ₹1,000 crore, and basic services like roads, electricity, and water are still not fully restored.
ALSO READ: Political unity or power pact? Inside India’s most enduring political alliances
ALSO READ: India holds strategic cards as Trump’s rhetoric escalates
He further added that the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has not delivered on the promises made during elections. “Jobs are being cancelled or delayed, and the youth are protesting. Cabinet meetings are irregular,” Thakur said.
He also reminded people that in 1999, the Dhumal government banned lotteries because they were ruining families financially. Even former CM Virbhadra Singh, who had once introduced lotteries, later rolled them back after seeing the harm they caused.
“Himachal is facing an economic crisis, and the government is trying to earn money by taxing everything and restarting lotteries. But this won’t fix the real problems,” Thakur said. “This lottery decision is dangerous, and the Chief Minister should launch an investigation.”
Responding to these allegations, Naresh Chauhan, the media advisor to the government, said that Jai Ram Thakur is misleading the public. He challenged Thakur to name the people involved in the alleged lobby or scam. “Making such baseless statements does not help. If he has any evidence, he should come forward with it,” Chauhan said.
As the monsoon session begins, all eyes will be on the government’s actions, especially the introduction of the new anti-cheating law and how it responds to the issues raised by the opposition. The session is expected to be heated, with key debates around education, employment, governance, and state revenue policies.
Copyright © © 2022 Copyright. All Rights Reserved with Arth Parkash