Patna: With Bihar hitting headlines every year during Class 10 and 12 examinations for the menace of mass cheating, the Bihar authorities on Tuesday made it clear that a penalty of upto Rs 20,000 and punishment to erring student’s parents/ guardians will be imposed.

“Parents, guardians, family members and friends, known for helping students to copy in the examinations, will be booked and sent to jail for violating Section 144 that will be imposed near the examination centres,” officials declared.

In a bid to conduct cheating-free examinations due to be held in March, Bihar School Examination Board chairman Lal Keshwar Prasad Singh said the authorities will impose a fine of Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 on students found using unfair means, apart from being expelled for three years as against the earlier practice of debarring students for one year.

Ahead of the Class 10 and Class 12 exams in Bihar in February and March, the education department has directed officials to begin preparations for cheating-free exams by installing CCTV cameras and ordering videography and live webcasting of examination centres.

Additional security forces are also being deployed. According to education department officials, nearly 14 lakh candidates will appear for intermediate exams (Class 12) from the last week of February and around 15 lakh students will write the matriculation (Class 10) exams in March this year.