The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026, which was scheduled to be held on June 28, has been postponed by the Maharashtra State Examination Council (MSCE), Pune, following an alleged question paper leak. The decision affects over six lakh candidates who were set to appear for the eligibility examination across the state.
Deputy commissioner statement
Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of the Examination Council, Priya Shinde, urged candidates not to panic and assured them that they would not have to register again for the examination.
"The examination was scheduled to take place tomorrow, June 28, 2026. However, due to the incident that occurred in Thane, we have postponed it. There were 1,728 centres designated for this examination, and a total of 6,01,125 candidates across Maharashtra were scheduled to appear," Shinde said.
When asked about legal action, she confirmed that an FIR had already been registered. However, she declined to comment on whether the entire question paper or only a part of it had been leaked, stating that the investigation is currently underway.
Explaining the significance of the examination, Shinde said the Teacher Eligibility Test determines whether a candidate is eligible to become a teacher. She added that although the exam was scheduled for June 28, it had been postponed in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the examination process.
On the revised examination schedule, Shinde said no fresh date has been finalised yet. She noted that the postponement notification has already been issued and is available on the official MSCE website.
Reassuring candidates, she said, "There is absolutely no need for them to panic. They should continue their preparation. There is no need for them to register again. They should remain calm."
Official MSCE notice
In its official notification, the Maharashtra State Examination Council said that the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 was scheduled to be conducted on June 28 across 1,028 examination centres in Maharashtra. The council stated that, keeping in view irregularities reported in recent competitive examinations, including NEET, extensive security arrangements had been made for the TET examination.
According to the notice, on June 27, Bhiwandi Police conducted a raid based on confidential information. During the subsequent verification carried out with officials from the Examination Council, it was found that some questions matched those in the confidential TET 2026 question paper. Following this, a case was registered at the Bhiwandi Police Station.
The council said that in order to ensure a transparent examination process and facilitate a thorough investigation, it decided to postpone the June 28 examination. It added that the revised examination schedule and further instructions for candidates will be announced through the official website after the investigation progresses.
Three arrested in paper leak case
Meanwhile, Bhiwandi Police have arrested three persons in connection with the alleged Maharashtra TET 2026 paper leak, prompting the postponement of the examination just a day before it was scheduled to be conducted statewide.
The accused have been identified as Rajiv Shah from Bihar, Akash Kumar from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana. Police said a wider investigation is underway to identify other members of the alleged paper leak network. The probe is being supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II), Pawan Bansode.
Investigators are attempting to determine the source of the leak, how the confidential question paper was accessed before the examination, and whether the network extends beyond Maharashtra. Officials are also examining digital evidence and possible financial transactions linked to the circulation of the leaked paper.
Police said further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. They have also appealed to the public not to circulate unverified examination material and warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone found involved in leaking or distributing confidential examination documents.
