Nearly two months after the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, Maharashtra’s Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 was postponed on Saturday, just a day before the examination, after the police in Thane district found that a part of the question paper had been leaked.
With nearly six lakh candidates affected, Opposition leaders targeted the BJP-led government, alleging that it was more focused on engineering political defections than ensuring foolproof examinations.
The police said they had arrested three persons from Bhiwandi in Thane district in connection with the leak and busted an “interstate syndicate”. Authorities said a revised examination schedule would be announced on the website of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE).
Officials said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted and multiple teams dispatched to other states to trace the source of the leak.
According to an official release, the Bhiwandi Police arrested three persons, originally from Bihar and Haryana, who were found in possession of copies of the TET-2026 question paper. An SIT headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Pawan Bansod is probing the case.
“On June 27, DCP (Zone-2), Bhiwandi, Pawan Bansod, received a confidential tipoff that some individuals were planning to sell leaked question papers of the upcoming TET examination. Multiple police teams verified the information and detained three suspects. Copies of the TET question paper for the examination scheduled on Sunday were recovered from them,” the release said.
Education Department officials later confirmed that the seized papers were authentic and matched the original question paper for the June 28 examination.
A case has been registered at the Kongaon police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act. Officials noted that offences under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination Act were non-bailable.
“Given the gravity of the situation, the examination scheduled for June 28 has been postponed,” the MSCE said, adding that the decision was necessary to ensure complete transparency and facilitate a thorough, uncompromised investigation.
The council urged candidates not to pay heed to rumours and said fresh examination dates would be announced shortly on its website.
MSCE Deputy Commissioner Priya Shinde said organising an examination of this scale generally takes around three weeks. “Candidates who have already registered will not be required to register again. Since they are not at fault, no re-registration fee will be charged,” she said.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the leak “highly outrageous” and said he would speak to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the masterminds.
State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, however, pointed out that the leak occurred in Thane district, considered Shinde’s political stronghold. “Who is providing political protection to the racket that is destroying the hard work, dreams and future of lakhs of students?” he asked, demanding strict action against those responsible.
