Maharashtra identifies 203 cases for trial in new fast-track exam courts, spans beyond paper leaks
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Maharashtra identifies 203 cases for trial in new fast-track exam courts, spans beyond paper leaks")
Representative image. Photograph: (Magnific)
Courts have been assigned district-wise based on case backlog. Aurangabad tops the list with 46 identified cases, followed by Thane (22), Pune (18), Jalgaon (15), Mumbai (12), and Nagpur and Parbhani (11 each).
Maharashtra has earmarked 203 pending cases for trial across 23 designated courts, encompassing not just violations under the Centre’s Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, but also cases filed under the state’s Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982. Maharashtra is one of the first states to set up dedicated fast-track courts for exam-related offences.
This decision considerably expanded the range of cases to be heard by the special courts. A review of the identified cases reveals they span beyond paper leak cases, covering a wide range of examination-related offences, from cheating during Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams to alleged malpractices in recruitment tests for government positions, including those for the police and municipal bodies.
These cases have been filed under a combination of laws: the 1982 state legislation, the 2024 central act, relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code or Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Information Technology Act. On Friday, acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge of the Bombay High Court nominated the remaining special courts after informing two such courts, in Aurangabad and Nagpur, last week.
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Special fast-track courts
In response, Presiding officers have been ordered to make every attempt to finish trials within three months of the chargesheet registration. In most of the discovered cases, chargesheets have already been registered. This came last week after PM Modi announced to set up of special fast-track courts to try examination malpractice cases in the wake of the NEET paper leak controversy that triggered nationwide student protests.
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Subsequently, the Union Law Ministry also directed states to operationalise courts to hear offences falling under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The earliest case slated for trial before these courts dates back to 2002 and remains pending in a Mumbai court, involving alleged irregularities and corruption in Maharashtra Public Service Commission exams for positions such as police sub-inspector.
Courts have been assigned district-wise based on case backlog. Aurangabad tops the list with 46 identified cases, followed by Thane (22), Pune (18), Jalgaon (15), Mumbai (12), and Nagpur and Parbhani (11 each). Most of these cases involve allegations of cheating through various means, including the use of electronic devices during exams.
