The Bombay High Court has designated 23 additional fast-track courts across Maharashtra to exclusively hear cases involving public examination paper leaks and other exam-related malpractices, strengthening efforts to ensure speedy trials in such offences.
In a notification issued on August 1, Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge assigned judicial officers across the state to conduct trials under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982.
The newly designated courts are spread across districts including Beed, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Nashik, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Pune, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Wardha, Yavatmal, Washim and Nandurbar. The High Court has also notified one court each in the City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai, and the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mumbai, for handling such cases.
The judicial officers appointed to head these special courts are:
This follows an earlier notification issued on July 24, under which Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate SV Pawar in Aurangabad and Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Gulshan Kolte in Nagpur were designated to hear paper leak cases through special fast-track courts.
The move comes amid increasing concerns over recurring examination paper leaks and organised cheating networks. The special courts have been established pursuant to directions of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, with a mandate to complete trials in such cases within three months, ensuring swift disposal of offences affecting the integrity of public examinations.
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