RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.3: The Jharkhand assembly today cleared The Jharkhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2023 accepting two amendments amid opposition of the BJP legislators.
The amendments made in the bill include reduction of jail term to one year from 3 for candidates caught involved in adopting unfair means during the competitive examination and three years instead of seven years for repeat offenders.
The bill paves a path for jail for examinees and examination agencies without any preliminary investigation and registration of an FIR in case of adopting unfair means during competitive examinations.
The BJP termed the bill as a ‘black’ law. Party legislator Amit Mandal compared it with British era rule, Rowlatt Act, of 1919 which empowered the British government to arrest any person without any trial. “Rowlatt Act was brought by East India Company and this rule has been brought by I-N-D-I-A,” he said.
Amar Kumar Bouri said it will pave the path for harassment of job aspirants and give opportunity for misuse by corrupt officials. He said that the quantum of punishment provided in the bill is up to life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 10 crore, which needs reconsideration as it may spoil the career of a job aspirant for one mistake of recruitment agencies. He said it was wrong to give immunity to erring government officials taking their acts as taken in ‘good faith’.
Biranchi Narayan and Anant Ojha echoed the same. Former education minister Pradeep Yadav and CPI (ML) legislator Vinod Singh supported them and advised sending the bill to the select committee for reconsideration.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren supported by parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam presented his argument in favour of the bill saying that it was in the interest of lakhs of honest students. He said in case anything happens wrong it will be reconsidered in the house. He said the bill has been introduced and passed by several other states.
He lashed out at the BJP and the central government while speaking in support of the bill. On the BJP’s suggestion of sending the bill to the select committee, he said the entire world is witnessing how the union government is clearing the bill without any discussion and debate.
During the debate, the chief minister mentioned the killing of Subhash Munda and extremism. He connected the issue with unemployment, holding the previous government responsible for the same. He said youths in Jharkhand are coming in the business of land and getting killed. This problem arose as the previous government did nothing to provide them employment.
