Gujarat to bring in law to curb paper leaks: Minister

State government officials are engaged in preparations to introduce the law, Patel said while replying to media queries on the government’s plan to check the menace.

On January 29, the Gujarat Panchayat Services Selection Board (GPSSB) postponed the Junior Clerk recruitment examination for over 1,000 vacancies after it was found that the examination paper was leaked.

A day later, Gujarat ATS claimed that it has busted an inter-state gang in connection with the latest instance of paper leak and arrested more than 15 persons.

“On the basis of our past experiences, rigorous exercise was on for the past three to four months to draft a strict law (against paper leak menace in the government recruitment examinations). We are going to pass a law in the Assembly prescribing strict punishment for involvement in any such racket or for getting lured (by money) in it,” Patel said, assuring that recruitments would be done strictly without any irregularities.

The proposed law would include all the aspects of the recruitment examinations such as the place where the paper will be printed and the distribution network. “We are going to take strict action against the scamsters involved in the paper leak or those who play with the dreams of lakhs of youths in lure of money,” the minister said.

More than 9.5 lakh candidates had applied for the Junior Clerk recruitment examination scheduled between 11 am and 12 noon on January 29 before it was postponed only hours before.

The opposition parties in the state had demanded a law against paper leaks in the aftermath of the latest paper leak. In the run up to the state assembly elections in December last year, both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had promised to bring in a law against the paper leak incidents, if voted to power.

Notably, the Gujarat State Law Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge MB Shah, had submitted a report to the state government in July last year to bring in a law to check the menace.