Maharashtra TET 2026 Paper Leak: Three Arrested In Bhiwandi, Exam Postponed A Day Before Scheduled Test

Bhiwandi: In a major setback to Maharashtra's recruitment examination system the Bhiwandi Police have arrested three persons in connection with the alleged leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 question paper, forcing the state government to postpone the examination just a day before it was scheduled to be conducted across the state.

The arrested accused have been identified as Rajiv Shah (Bihar), Akash Kumar (Bihar), and Dheeraj Kumar (Haryana). Police have launched a wider investigation to trace other members of the alleged paper leak network. The probe is being supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Pawan Bansode.

According to official sources the TET examination was scheduled to be held on June 28, 2026, at 1,028 examination centres across Maharashtra. However, after intelligence inputs suggested that the question paper had been leaked in advance, authorities initiated an immediate verification process.

In the early hours of Saturday, acting on confidential information, a Bhiwandi Police team conducted a raid at a location where several individuals were allegedly found in possession of suspected examination questions. During verification, investigators matched the recovered material with the original TET June 2026 question paper and found multiple questions to be identical, confirming the possibility of a paper leak.

Following the preliminary findings, the Bhiwandi Police registered an offence and launched a full-scale investigation into the suspected examination racket.

Taking serious note of the development, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) announced the immediate postponement of the TET-2026 examination to ensure the fairness, transparency, and integrity of the recruitment process. The council stated that conducting the examination under such circumstances could compromise its credibility and adversely affect thousands of genuine candidates.

The council further said that a fresh examination schedule, along with revised instructions for candidates, would be announced through its official website after the ongoing investigation progresses.

The incident comes at a time when concerns over examination security continue to dominate public discourse following previous controversies involving competitive examinations, once again raising questions over the vulnerability of recruitment and eligibility tests.

Meanwhile, investigators are attempting to establish the source of the leak and determine how the confidential question paper was accessed before the examination. Police are also examining whether the network extends beyond Maharashtra and has links to individuals operating in multiple states.

Officials said efforts are underway to identify additional suspects, recover digital evidence, and ascertain whether financial transactions were involved in circulating the leaked question paper. More arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.

The Bhiwandi Police have appealed to the public to refrain from circulating unverified examination material and warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone found involved in the leak or in the distribution of confidential examination documents.