The Teacher Eligibility Test 2026 in Maharashtra was postponed on Saturday, just a day before it was scheduled to take place, after parts of the question paper were allegedly leaked, leading to the arrest of three persons from Bhiwandi and the busting of an "inter-state syndicate".
Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), while multiple police teams have been dispatched to different states to trace the source of the leak and nab the mastermind behind this racket.
As many as six lakh candidates were scheduled to appear for the examination across 1,728 centres at 37 locations, officials said.
Coming almost two months after an alleged NEET-UG paper leak led to the cancellation of the initial exam, the development triggered a political firestorm, with the Opposition accusing the BJP of being busy in breaking parties instead of conducting exams in a foolproof manner.
Bhiwandi Police in Thane district arrested three individuals, originally from Bihar and Haryana, with copies of the original question paper, according to an official release.
A Special Investigation Team has been formed, which will be headed by Pawan Bansod. It comprises two ACPs, nine police inspectors and assistant police inspectors.
"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," police said.
To verify the authenticity of the seized documents, senior officials from the Education Department were called in. After a thorough verification, the education authorities confirmed that the papers found in the suspects' possession were indeed the original question papers for the June 28 examination, it stated.
"Following this confirmation, the trio was formally arrested on the spot," according to the release.
Police said the arrested men belong to an inter-state syndicate, suggesting a deep-rooted network operating across states.
A case has been registered at the Kongaon police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay 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.
The invocation of the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, ensures stringent, non-bailable actions against those attempting to compromise state exams.
"Given the gravity of the situation and the necessity for an in-depth probe, the exam scheduled for June 28, 2026, has been postponed," the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) said, adding it remains firmly committed to conducting the examination with complete transparency.
Expressing a zero-tolerance policy toward examination malpractice, the MSCE stated that the postponement was necessary to ensure absolute transparency and to allow law enforcement agencies to conduct an uncompromised, deep-dive investigation into the racket.
The council has urged candidates not to rely on rumours and announced that revised dates and updated schedules for the TET 2026 will be published soon on the council's official website.
Meanwhile, officials said that candidates will not be charged a re-registration fee for the examination.
MSCE Deputy Commissioner Priya Shinde said the process of organising an examination of this scale typically takes around three weeks.
"Candidates who had already registered for the examination will not have to register again. Since the candidates are not at fault, no re-registration fee will be charged," she said.
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 against its masterminds.
The leak would be investigated thoroughly, impartially and with utmost strictness, he said, adding that the culprits will not be spared regardless of their positions or whether they are part of an organised criminal network.
The state government has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, he said, while lauding the police. Acting on intelligence inputs, the police promptly conducted raids, preventing the futures of lakhs of hardworking and honest candidates from being jeopardised, Shinde said.
The TET would be conducted at the earliest in a completely transparent and fair manner, he assured.
The Opposition, meanwhile, alleged that the BJP and Shiv Sena are busy in breaking other parties while ignoring the strengthening of the system.
"Paper leaks" are no longer isolated incidents but have become the identity of the Maharashtra government, they said.
"The reports suggest that the question paper for tomorrow's Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was leaked in Thane, the stronghold of Shinde. Who is giving political protection to the racket that is ruining the hard work, dreams, and future of lakhs of students?" asked state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal.
He demanded a fair and impartial probe and strict action against those responsible.
Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar wondered whether those behind the alleged paper leaks were enjoying political or administrative protection and demanded an impartial investigation.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele said if the teacher recruitment examination papers are being leaked, then no examination is safe anymore.
"Earlier, the question papers of CBSE, NEET UG, and several other competitive exams were leaked. This government has broken political parties and poached MPs; now it seems it has become known for leaks and betrayal as well," he alleged.
Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray took a swipe at the ruling BJP, saying that instead of breaking political parties, it should have focused on preventing recurring paper leaks.
In a post on X, Aaditya said the TET paper leak is the latest in a series of such incidents, including the NEET exam and the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in the past.
"Instead of focusing on breaking political parties to change the Constitution, the BJP should have concentrated on preventing these recurring exam paper leaks. They have jeopardised the future of the country's youth," he said.
"Should young men and women have to spend every year protesting? When will the youth of our country get the chance to dream about and build their future?" the former minister asked.
Notably, the NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled on May 3 due to a widespread paper leak. The re-test was successfully conducted on June 21 across India and in 14 overseas locations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
