Mumbai, 27 June (HS): The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility

Test (TET) 2026, which was set to take place on Sunday, has been postponed

after a leaked question paper was discovered during a search in Thane's

Bhiwandi only a day before the test. On Sunday, the exam was planned to take place

in 1,028 locations around the state. According to the government, the test

would be held in 37 locations and 1028 exam venues in Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra State Examination Council announced in an official statement on

Saturday that the test has been postponed to ensure the transparency and

integrity of the examination process. According to Priya Shinde, deputy

commissioner of the Maharashtra State Examination Council, the revised

examination date would be announced within the next two or three days.

The breach was discovered when Bhiwandi police, acting on a

tip, raided the Diamond Hotel in Bhiwandi early Saturday morning. During the

operation, the authorities uncovered the leaked question papers of the test in

the custody of several persons. Officials from the Maharashtra State

Examination Council were promptly summoned to verify the content. Upon further

analysis, it was revealed that some questions in the possession of the suspects

matched the real question paper created for the June 2026 TET.

Subsequently, the authorities announced the cancelation of the exam and a

criminal case was lodged at the Bhiwandi Police Station. Three persons have

been detained thus far in connection with the event. The suspects were

apprehended at Mumbai's Sahar Airport, and authorities are probing how they

obtained the exam papers, as well as their financial activities.

Around 6 lakh prospective teachers from Maharashtra were

slated to take the TET test on Sunday. The postponement has left lakhs of

students waiting for a revised exam schedule.

Last year, a similar occurrence occurred in Kolhapur in

which the TET question paper was purportedly leaked.

Harshvardhan Sapkal, head of the Maharashtra Congress, said

on Saturday that the BJP-led state administration was more concerned with poaching

MLAs and MPs than with the future of the young. He also indicated that Congress

will have a large protest if the criminals are not brought to justice. According

to Sapkal, the BJP administration is jeopardizing the students future. If the

government fails to take stern measures and identify the source of the leak,

the Congress party will protest on the streets.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi