After the Maharashtra Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 was postponed on Saturday, just a day before its conduct over reports of an alleged paper leak, a massive political unrest unfolded as the opposition criticised the ruling government’s handling of public examinations. 

The Maharashtra State Council of Examination’s (MSCE) decision to defer the test has intensified attacks from the opposition, with several leaders alleging a recurring pattern of exam irregularities in the same year within the country’s education system.

MHT TET was scheduled for June 28

Notably, the Maharashtra TET was slated to be held on June 28, 2026 across 1.028 examination centres across the state. However, after intelligence inputs which suggested a possible paper leak, police carried out a raid in Bhiwandi where documents allegedly linked to the question paper were seized.

Officials later confirmed that some of the questions in the seized material matched the contents of the actual TET question paper, prompting authorities to halt the exam process. The police have registered a case and a probe into the incident is underway. 

Leak unfolds despite security measures

The examination council said that strict security arrangements were in place during the preparation of the test, especially in the wake of the previous irregularities reported in national-level exams like NEET UG 2026. 

However, officials said that once credible evidence of a suspected leak emerged, it became the need of the hour to postpone the exam to ensure absolute transparency and protect the integrity of the recruitment process. As the probe deepens, a revised schedule for the exam shall be announced on the official website of MSCE. 

Political row erupts over exam integrity

A sharp political backlash followed after the exam’s postponement, as opposition parties launched a coordinated attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. Congress accused the administration of presiding over a ‘paper leak government,’ alleging that repeated failures in safeguarding exams have eroded public trust. 

The controversy also amplified on social media, with critics linking the TET incident to concerns raised earlier over NEET and other pan-India competitive exams. 

Shiv Sena, AIMIM weigh in too

Several opposition leaders across parties weighed in on the issue. AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi termed the situation a ‘mess,’ questioning the government’s competence to conduct exams fairly. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Ambadas Danve said Maharashtra had already seen NEET-related irregularities and accused the government of failing to learn lessons from incidents reported in the past. 

NCP (SP) Spokesperson Amol Matele alleged that repeated leaks had made it appear as though ‘no examination is safe anymore,’ adding that a serious threat had been posed to the credibility of the recruitment system. 

Organised leak network under police scanner

Preliminary reports indicate that police received confidential information on Saturday about several persons in Bhiwandi possessing prior access to the question paper. Acting swiftly upon the disclosure, the cops raided the directed location and alerted exam authorities. 

During verification, the cops reportedly found resemblance between the seized material and the TET 2026 question paper, strengthening suspicions of a coordinated leak operation. Several people have been detained and are being interrogated, though their identities are still under the wraps. 

4.2L candidates registered for TET exam

This year, close to 4.28 lakh candidates had registered for the Maharashtra TET exam, yielding six lakh applications for Papers 1 and 2. The sudden postponement has left all the aspirants hanging in balancing and eager for the revised examination schedule.