The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 has been postponed a day before it was scheduled to be held after authorities detected an alleged question paper leak.
The development has triggered sharp political reactions, with opposition parties accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra of failing to protect the integrity of public examinations.
TET Exam Postponed Following Leak Allegations
The Maharashtra TET examination was scheduled to be conducted on June 28 at 1,028 examination centres across the state.
According to Nandkumar Bedse, Director of the Maharashtra State Examination Council, police received confidential information on June 27 that certain individuals in Bhiwandi possessed copies of the question paper.
A police raid was conducted, and officials from the examination council verified the recovered material. During the verification process, authorities found that several questions matched the official examination paper.
Following the discovery, a criminal case was registered, and the examination was postponed to ensure a fair recruitment process.
Investigation Underway
The Maharashtra State Examination Council said multiple security measures had been implemented while preparing for the examination, especially in light of recent controversies surrounding competitive exams.
However, after the suspected leak was confirmed, authorities decided to defer the examination pending a detailed investigation.
A revised examination date will be announced later on the council’s official website.
Police are continuing to investigate how the paper was leaked and whether additional individuals were involved.
Opposition Targets BJP Government
The alleged leak has intensified political criticism of the BJP.
The Congress party described the incident as another example of repeated failures to conduct examinations securely.
In a post on social media, the party alleged that paper leaks had become a recurring problem under the BJP government.
Leaders React
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, who has been protesting over recent examination controversies, questioned whether any public examination in the country remained free from paper leaks.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said Maharashtra had already witnessed controversies surrounding the NEET examination and alleged that the state government had failed to learn from previous incidents.
State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal demanded a fair and impartial investigation and questioned whether those involved in the alleged leak were receiving political protection.
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) spokesperson Amol Matele also criticised the government, saying repeated examination leaks were undermining the confidence of students and job aspirants.
Over Four Lakh Candidates Affected
More than 4.28 lakh candidates, including in-service teachers, had registered for the Maharashtra TET 2026 examination.
The examination received more than six lakh applications across Paper 1 and Paper 2.
The postponement has left thousands of candidates awaiting a new examination schedule while authorities continue their investigation into the alleged leak.
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