CJP renews attack, Wangchuk to begin fast today; Opp parties say ruling BJP’s priority is breaking parties
MUMBAI, June 27: The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 in Maharashtra was postponed on Saturday, a day before it was to be held, after police in Thane district found that a part of its question paper had been leaked.
As the development which affected six lakh candidates followed the national scandal caused by the last month’s leak of the NEET-UG paper, Opposition leaders trained their guns on the BJP-led government, saying it was busy breaking political parties instead of ensuring foolproof examinations.
While police said they had arrested three persons from Bhiwandi in Thane district in connection with the leak and exposed an “inter-state syndicate”, authorities said the revised exam schedule will be published on the website of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE).
Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and multiple teams have been sent to other states to trace the source of the leak, officials said.
Bhiwandi Police in Thane district arrested three individuals, originally from Bihar and Haryana, with copies of the TET-2026 question paper, according to an official release. An SIT headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Pawan Bansod is probing the case, it said.
“On June 27, DCP (Zone-2) of Bhiwandi, Pawan Bansod, received a confidential tip-off that a few individuals were planning to sell the leaked question papers of the upcoming TET exam. Multiple police teams verified the information and detained three suspects. Police recovered copies of the TET exam papers scheduled for Sunday,” the release said.
Education department officials confirmed that the seized papers were indeed the original question papers for the June 28 examination, it stated, adding that the arrested men belonged to an inter-state syndicate.A case was registered at the Kongaon police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act. Offences under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination Act are non-bailable, officials said.
“Given the gravity of the situation….the exam scheduled for June 28, 2026, has been postponed,” the MSCE said, adding that the postponement was necessary to ensure absolute transparency and to allow police to conduct a through, uncompromised investigation.
The council urged candidates not to believe rumours, and said that revised dates for the exam will be published soon on its website. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the paper leak “highly outrageous”, saying he will speak to CM Devendra Fadnavis for registration of a case under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against its masterminds.
State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, however, noted that the paper leak took place in Thane district, Shinde’s political stronghold. “Who is giving political protection to the racket that is ruining the hard work, dreams, and future of lakhs of students?” he asked, demanding strict action against those responsible.
Vijay Wadettiwar, another Congress leader, wondered whether those behind the paper leaks were enjoying political or administrative protection. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged in Delhi that the TET paper leak once again showed the government’s failure to ensure the integrity of competitive examinations.
“First NEET, now Maharashtra TET exam got leaked and called off at the last minute. Students and teachers have been screaming about TET scams since 2017, but the authorities would rather push our youth into a dead-end than fix the system,” he said.
“It is clear now; the TET paper leak in Maharashtra proves, whether on the state level or national level, the BJP government can’t conduct even a single exam. All they can do is break political parties and poach MLAs and MPs,” Dipke said. Dipke, meanwhile, said the government was not concerned about the future of the youth and appealed to students to raise their voice against the issue.As part of the campaign demanding Pradhan’s resignation, educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk will join the protest at Jantar Mantar from Sunday and begin an indefinite fast. (PTI)
