Indian exam-conducting agencies NTA, or SSC have always shocked us with their results and paper leaks. Paper leaks in India are so common that it has become the topic of election campaigns for political parties. In November 2023 in one of the speeches Mr. Modi stayed responsible to Congress for selling examination question papers, similarly the BRS government in Telangana, etc.
In the last five years (from 2019 to 2024), The Indian Express reports 41 documented paper leaks across 15 states and has been repeated in all party lines. This has affected over 1.5 crores of applicants for approximately 1 lakh posts including the recent NEET 2024 SCAM and NET exam paper leaks.
The Indian Express investigation depicts the 15 states and leaks in 41 recruitment exams. From TET exams in UP & Rajasthan to police recruitment in Assam, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Jammu & Kashmir. From the forest recruitment exam in Uttarakhand to the Engineer recruitment exam in Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, J&K, and Rajasthan. The list is long.
The map above shows the number of exams canceled in the respective states for respective vacancies and the total number of candidates who appeared for the exam in the last five years. This data is an estimated data.
Each paper leak has a distinctive nature. In some cases, state employees are found behind the paper leak from the government office (in Rajasthan), In Madhyapradesh server of a private company gets hacked and the paper gets leaked, In Maharshatra a student approaches the police reporting the leak on social media.
After Exam cancellation, the long wait:
It is also undeniable that exams are canceled and rescheduled after the paper leaks and re-examinations never happen timely and smooth. Below are some of the information collected from different resources.
- In Telangana State Public Service Commission conducted the recruitment examination for 503 posts on October 16 2022 and later canceled it in March 2023 due to a question paper leak. The re-examination was conducted on June 11, 2023, but again canceled by High Court verdict, irregularities in the test. The number of applicants in the examination was approximately 3.8 lakhs.
- Gujrat Subordinate Staff Selection Board conducts the exams with 4000 vacancies for the posts of Clerks and Office Assistants. More than 4 lakh students appeared in the test in Nov 2019, and the exam was canceled, after waiting for more than two years they reconducted the exams in April 2022.
- In Haryana, under State Public Service Commission, the examination was conducted for the 383 vacancies of Veterinary surgeons on Jan 15 2023 but the exam was cancelled due to suspicion of the paper leak. No FIR registered. No re-examination was held.
More than 15 cases have been reported where the candidates have waited more than one year, 4 cases where they waited for 2, and 7 cases are there where students are still waiting and have no clarity about their exams which were canceled due to question paper leak.
The Rajasthan Eligibility Exam (REET) was canceled due to the paper leak in 2021 which affected approximately 12.67 lakh candidates and around a hundred people were arrested. Scandal after scandal has pushed the state government to introduce the law against examination malpractices. In March 2022, a new Bill was passed in Rajasthan Assembly to impose up to 10 years imprisonment and a ₹10 crore fine for offenses like leaking government recruitment exam papers and cheating in the tests. Several states including Jharkhand, Gujrat, and Uttarakhand have issued such laws and ordinances in 2023 and introduced anti-cheating laws and imprisonment. Despite the several strict laws paper leaks are still a top-notch concern.
The government needs to maintain serious transparency and strictness in the examination process. The special authorities should be assigned for all state and central-level examinations. No examination should be underestimated as any discrepancy in the examination is in actual a huge loss for the young aspirants. The majority of the candidates are from the middle class and they migrate from rural areas to the city for exam preparation. They have family accountability at the back and ocean of dreams. Exam cancellation due to whatever reasons not only creates a temporary setback to the aspirants but also mental damage and suicidal feelings. Time and dreams are irreplaceable.
In conclusion, the persistent issue of examination paper leaks in India has severely compromised the fairness of recruitment processes, affecting millions of aspirants across states. Despite legislative efforts, leaks still happen. We need better ways to monitor exams and stricter rules to ensure fairness for all candidates.