look news india
At present, when strict policies and tough administrative decisions are being taken across the country regarding paper leaks and rigging in examinations, it is natural for the youth of a huge state like Uttar Pradesh to ask the question that where did this ‘copying culture’ start from? How at one time cheating got institutional protection and how it continued to hurt the dreams of lakhs of meritorious students of the state. The mention of Uttar Pradesh is also important because the majority of the youth here are dependent on government jobs and competitive examinations for their livelihood and bright future. When a youth’s years of hard work are overshadowed by a paper leak, frustration is natural.
According to the perspective and historical facts of former state Director General of Police and Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, the examination system of Uttar Pradesh has seen two diametrically opposite political and administrative phases in the last three decades. There was a period during the rule of Samajwadi Party, where due to laxity and policies, the copying mafia became a parallel power. The second phase is during the tenure of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, where the mafia system was directly attacked with the harsh stick of law.
‘Copy Ordinance’ of 1992 and the fatal phase of self-centered policy
To understand the foundation of counterfeiting mafia in Uttar Pradesh and the history of its flourishing, we have to go back to the year 1992. A strict ‘Copying Ordinance’ was imposed by the then government to maintain the sanctity of examinations in the state. However, during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government that came to power after this, this law was made completely ineffective and weak at the practical level.
During this period, the policy of ‘self-centre’ was also promoted, under which students got the facility to take the examination in their own school or college. Even though this decision appeared to be a simple administrative convenience, it gave rise to an organized ‘copying mafia’ in the state. The result of this laxity was that in the year 2004, the result of intermediate examination of UP Board increased unnaturally. Meritorious students were left behind and the pockets of fraudsters were filled on the basis of systemic laxity, which dealt a deep blow to the educational credibility of the state.
2012 to 2017: Allegations of rigging on recruitment boards and paper leaks
When the Samajwadi Party government was formed under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav between 2012 and 2017, the youth had hopes of improving the examination system. However, this period proved to be full of controversies for almost every major recruitment board in the state. Due to the question paper of the medical entrance examination being leaked from the government treasury, the entire examination had to be cancelled. At the same time, the form for the state’s most prestigious administrative service (UPPSC) became public on social media, due to which lakhs of candidates had to take to the streets.
Apart from this, major revelations of bribery were made through a sting operation in Village Development Officer (VDO) recruitment, in which questions were raised on the role of people close to the ruling party. During this period, serious allegations were made against Azam Khan, who was a cabinet minister, for making recruitments in his departments himself and giving priority to a particular category. A PIL was even filed in the High Court regarding the unbalanced selection of a specific caste and class in the Public Service Commission. The case was stuck in court proceedings for years after evidence of fraud and political recommendations in police and PAC constable recruitment was found.
Yogi government’s policy change: ₹1 crore fine and life imprisonment
After the change of power in 2017, the government of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chose harsh legal and administrative routes to end this chaos prevalent in the examination system. The government implemented ‘Uttar Pradesh Public Services (Competitive Examination) Prevention of Unfair Means Act’ i.e. strict anti-copying law.
Under this law, a provision of life imprisonment and a heavy fine of up to Rs 1 crore was made for those who leak papers or use unfair means. Also, a strict rule was made to confiscate the properties of the examination agencies found guilty and recover the entire examination expenses from them. At the administrative level, CCTV surveillance, selection of highly sensitive examination centers and multi-level system for security of question papers were implemented, positive results of which have been seen in the recent examinations.