MahaTET postponed day before exam after suspected leak, three men held during raid with four copies of question paper

Pune: Barely weeks after the NEET paper leak sparked nationwide outrage, the Maharashtra State Examination Council (MSCE) on Saturday postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 after police uncovered an alleged question paper leak just a day before the exam.

A council official said it would announced the new date of the exam after ascertaining the extent of the leak.Three men were arrested on Saturday in Kongaon, Thane district, while allegedly attempting to sell the leaked question papers. Following the arrests, state govt ordered a fresh examination and CM Devendra Fadnavis directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Thane joint commissioner of police Panjabrao Ugale.

The CM also spoke to school education minister Dada Bhuse and director general of police Sadanand Date, instructing that strict action be taken against those involved.According to additional commissioner of police Ashok Dudhe, the accused have been identified as Rajeev Shah and Akash Kumar, both from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana. They are aged between 28 and 45 years. Police said DCP (Zone II) Pawan Bansod received specific intelligence about the suspects’ plan to sell the question papers.

Acting on the tip-off, a team laid a trap in the Kongaon area along the Kalyan-Bhiwandi border and detained the trio around 11 am.During the operation, officers recovered four sets of TET question papers with debit and credit cards. Officials from the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE), who were present during the raid, verified that the seized papers matched the original question papers, after which a case was registered at the Kongaon police station.Dudhe said the three accused — one from Haryana and two from Bihar — had travelled from Delhi and were allegedly trying to sell the paper for Rs 1.5 crore to a buyer for further distribution. “Preliminary investigations shows that one of them had previously appeared for a Kendriya Vidyalaya recruitment exam but had not qualified,” he said, adding that a case had been registered under sections 318(4), 316(5) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.MSCE commissioner Nandkumar Bedse said the council did not initiate a separate inquiry as police were already carrying out a detailed investigation. The council, in a notification, stated that it had introduced enhanced security measures for TET 2026 in response to alleged irregularities during NEET 2026.Over 6 lakh candidates had registered to appear for the exam, which was to be conducted at 1,028 centres across Maharashtra.

Deputy commissioner (MSCE) Priya Shinde assured candidates that they did not need to reapply or pay the examination fee again. “We are assisting the police with all necessary documents. Once we understand the extent of the leak, a new date will be announced. Candidates should not panic,” Shinde said.She also cautioned aspirants against falling for any rumours about re-exam dates circulating on social media, urging them to rely only on official updates from the TET website.

She declined to comment on any possible changes to the exam pattern.A senior police officer said the police were investigating who the papers were meant for and the larger network involved, including local contacts and any possible role of educational institutions or intermediaries. “The SIT, comprising two assistant commissioners of police and nine inspectors, will conduct operations across multiple states.

The investigation will be thorough and impartial. No one will be spared,” the officer said.A former MSCE commissioner said stringent procedures were usually followed to prevent leaks. “Multiple sets of question papers in sealed envelopes are prepared by subject experts, which are randomly selected for printing outside the state. The printed papers are transported under tight security to Pune, verified and then distributed to district treasuries. On the day of the exam, sealed packets are opened in front of candidates,” he said.Another former education department official suggested that the leak might have occurred at the printing stage, possibly outside Maharashtra, given the involvement of suspects linked to Delhi.