Law to curb paper leaks during ongoing Maharashtra assembly monsoon session, says Devendra Fadnavis

Pic/PTI

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said a law to curb exam paper leaks will be enacted during the ongoing Maharashtra assembly monsoon session of the state legislature, reported news agency PTI.

Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement in the state assembly while replying to a supplementary question during the Question Hour on the issue of recruitment in government jobs.

Congress member Balasaheb Thorat, NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar, BJP's Ashish Shelar and Bhaskar Jadhav of the Shiv Sena (UBT) asked the government if it will enact a strong law to curb paper leaks, reported PTI.

Fadnavis said a bill will be tabled in this Maharashtra assembly monsoon session itself for the enactment of the law, reported PTI.

In the wake of the alleged leak of NEET paper and malpractices in various other exams, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Saturday said the state government must enact a strict law to curb paper leaks and punish the guilty.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency announced the revised rank list for the medical entrance exam NEET-UG on Monday, officials said, reported PTI.

The revised list was announced after a retest was conducted for candidates who were earlier awarded grace marks to compensate for loss of time as the exam on May 5 started late at six centres, reported PTI.

For the retest conducted at seven centres on June 23 following a Supreme Court order, 48 per cent of the 1,563 candidates did not appear, reported PTI.

National Testing Agency (NTA) officials reported that 813 of the 1,563 candidates appeared for the retest while the others opted for the marks without the grace, reported PTI.

Centre-wise, Chandigarh -- which had just two candidates -- registered zero attendance. The under-scanner Jhajjar centre registered 58 per cent attendance, with 287 of the 494 candidates taking the retest, reported PTI.

Allegations arose that the grace marks inflated scores, leading to six candidates from a single Haryana centre achieving a perfect 720, along with 61 others. Consequently, the top court ordered the cancellation of the grace marks and provided an option for a retest.

(With inputs from PTI)