Govt under fire for another paper leak as Maharashtra TET 2026 postponed: 'Is there any exam left?'

THe Maharashtra instructor Eligibility try out (TET) 2026 was postponed on sabbatum, simply a daylight before it was scheduled to take place, after parts of the question paper were allegedly leaked. This has caused a political storm for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is already under fire for the NEET paper leak, the CBSE fiasco and other issues related to the education system.With the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical outfit, already protesting against union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanding his resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak last month, the Maharashtra TET leak may well work as more fuel in the already burning fire, with Congress and others in the opposition targeting the government over the new issue.Opposition up in arms over paper leaksReacting to the leak, Congress said that the BJP government has become a “paper leak government”.“Another paper leak. The TET paper has been leaked in Maharashtra. The exam was scheduled for tomorrow, which has now been cancelled. Under the BJP government, there is no paper that doesn't get leaked. This government has become the "Paper Leak Government," Congress handle on X posted. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is leading the protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the alleged paper leaks, also reacted to the development in his home state, Maharashtra.“TET exam paper leaked in Maharashtra. Is there any public exam left in this country that doesn’t end in a paper leak?” Dipke wrote on X. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, a part of the opposition in Maharashtra, said that the state was also a centre of the NEET paper leak and alleged that the government “did not learn anything from it."Maharashtra was also a centre for NEET paper leak. But the Government didn't learn anything from it. TET is a smaller exam, but the Maharashtra Govt didn't pass here...I think this paper leak is a humiliation for Maharashtra Govt. This Govt cannot handle the TET paper. We are sad that Maharashtra has such a government of the BJP," Danve was quoted by ANI as saying. Multiple people were arrested by the CBI across Maharashtra in the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak last month.State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that "paper leaks" are no longer isolated incidents, but have become the identity of "this failed government"."The reports suggest that the question paper for tomorrow's Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was leaked in Thane, the stronghold of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Who is giving political protection to the racket that is ruining the hard work, dreams, and future of lakhs of students?" Sapkal was quoted by PTI as saying.The Congress leader demanded a fair and impartial probe into the TET matter and strict action against those responsible.NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele said if the teacher recruitment examination papers are being leaked, then no examination is safe anymore."Earlier, the question papers of CBSE, NEET UG, and several other competitive exams were leaked. This government has broken political parties and poached MPs; now it seems it has become known for leaks and betrayal as well," he alleged.What happened with the Maharashtra TET 2026?The TET examination was scheduled to be held on June 28 at 1,028 centres across Maharashtra. However, the test has now been rescheduled after police found evidence suggesting that some questions had been leaked before the examination.According to Nandkumar Bedse, director of the Maharashtra State Examination Council, police received confidential information early on June 27 that a few people in Bhiwandi had access to the TET question paper. Acting on the tip-off, the Bhiwandi Police conducted a raid and called officials from the examination council to verify the material recovered from the location.During the verification process, officials found that some of the questions in the seized documents matched the actual TET 2026 question paper. Following the discovery, a criminal case was registered, and an investigation is underway.The examination council said it had put several security measures in place while preparing for the TET, keeping in mind the irregularities reported in the NEET 2026 examination. However, after the suspected paper leak came to light, authorities decided to postpone the test to ensure the recruitment process remains fair and transparent.In a statement, the council said the examination had been rescheduled because a detailed investigation was necessary and it wanted to ensure that the test is conducted in a completely transparent manner.A fresh date for the examination will be announced later on the official website of the Maharashtra State Examination Council.Meanwhile, police are continuing their probe to determine how the paper was leaked and whether others were involved.More than 4.28 lakh candidates, including working teachers, had registered for MAHA TET this year, resulting in over six lakh applications for Papers 1 and 2.