Maharashtra TET 2026 Postponed: Paper Leaked 24 Hours Before Exam in Thane

The Maharashtra State Examination Council (MSCE), Pune, has officially postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026, which was originally scheduled to take place on June 28, 2026. This decision comes after a major paper leak was reported in Thane, just 24 hours before the commencement of the examination. The leak has caused significant unrest among the candidates and the education department, especially following the recent controversies surrounding national-level entrance exams.

Details of the Paper Leak and Police Action

The leak came to light following a proactive operation by the Bhiwandi police. Acting on specific intelligence, the police conducted a raid on Saturday morning. During the investigation, authorities discovered individuals in possession of questions that bore a striking resemblance to those on the official TET 2026 question paper. Upon receiving this information, officials from the Maharashtra State Examination Council immediately conducted a thorough verification process. They confirmed that several questions found during the raid were indeed identical to the ones in the actual examination paper. Consequently, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Bhiwandi police station to initiate a formal criminal investigation into the matter.

Impact on Candidates and Examination Centers

The scale of the TET 2026 was significant, with approximately 4,28,000 candidates registered to appear for the exam across the state. The MSCE had made extensive arrangements to conduct the test at 1,028 centers throughout Maharashtra. In light of the recent controversies surrounding the NEET 2026 paper leaks, the council had claimed to have implemented all necessary precautions to ensure a secure testing environment. However, the breach in Thane has once again highlighted vulnerabilities in the examination system. The council has emphasized that maintaining complete transparency and fairness is its highest priority, which necessitated the postponement of the exam until a full investigation is completed.

Historical Context and Systemic Concerns

This isn't the first time that the Teacher Eligibility Test has faced such challenges in Maharashtra. In 2025, a similar paper leak incident was reported in Kolhapur, which had also raised questions about the security of the examination process. The current leak in Thane, occurring so soon after the NEET controversy, has put the education department's functioning under intense scrutiny. There are growing concerns regarding the potential involvement of internal staff or system insiders, as it's often argued that such leaks are difficult to execute without some level of collusion. The future of over 4 lakh aspiring teachers now remains uncertain as they await the announcement of new examination dates, which will be posted on the official MSCE website once the situation is resolved.