The Maharashtra Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing an inter-State paper-leak racket linked to accused persons suspected of involvement in similar paper-leak cases in other States, in connection with the State Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), which was postponed after the alleged leak came to light.
What is Maharashtra TET?
The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test is an examination that assesses candidates’ proficiency in subjects such as mathematics, science and languages for teaching roles. It is mandatory under the Right to Education Act for the recruitment of primary school teachers from Classes I to VIII. As per guidelines issued by the National Council for Teacher Education, each State conducts its own TET. In Maharashtra, the examination is conducted by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination, headquartered in Pune.
Why was the examination postponed, and how many applicants were affected?
The examination was scheduled to be held on June 28. However, on the eve of the examination, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination postponed it after a police probe found that the papers had allegedly been leaked.
The last-minute cancellation has affected more than six lakh candidates. The exam was scheduled to be conducted in 1,028 centres across 37 cities in Maharashtra.
When is the next exam, and will there be a fresh fee?
The new date of the examination has not yet been announced. Officials have indicated that it will be announced soon. The State government has said the applicants may not need to re-register or pay any additional fees for appearing for the examination.
What is the paper-leak scam?
Acting on a tip-off, the Thane Police last week laid a trap and arrested three accused who were allegedly trying to sell examination papers for ₹1.5 crore. Police had received information that a group of men was attempting to sell papers across Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Solapur, Nagpur, and Indore. This information is still being verified as part of the ongoing investigation.
According to police, two separate groups of men reached Bhiwandi over the last weekend of June to allegedly sell four Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) papers, apparently unaware of each other but believed to be operating under the same kingpin. They allegedly planned to target coaching classes and sell the papers for ₹1.5 crore, with individual candidates being charged around ₹1.5 lakh each.
During the investigation, police used a decoy to pose as a buyer. The accused allegedly showed the question paper during a video call and then proceeded to negotiate its sale. After verifying the authenticity of the seized material, police arrested three individuals: Rajeev Shriprayag Shaw (Bihar), Akash Kumar Swaraj Kumar (Bihar), Dheeraj Balraj Singh (Haryana). One of Dheeraj’s associates, Kapil Dahiya (Haryana), reportedly managed to escape and remains absconding.
How many people have been booked so far?
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered by the Thane Police against five persons so far. Three of them have been arrested. A Look Out Circular (LOC) has been issued against the two absconding accused.
One of the absconding accused is suspected to be the mastermind of the alleged paper-leak scam and is also suspected to be involved in similar scams in other States.
All the accused hail from Bihar and Haryana.Police officers probing the case initially found it difficult to believe that people from Delhi, Bihar, and Haryana were selling examination papers for a Maharashtra-based examination. So far, the investigation has pointed to one Bijendar Kumar Baleshwar Kumar Sah, a resident of Patna, Bihar, as the alleged kingpin of the scam. He is believed to have been operating two different teams of men who travelled to Thane to sell the papers. The two teams were unaware of each other and were in direct communication with Bijendar, who allegedly booked their flights and local transport and remained in constant touch with them through audio and video calls.
Police are probing the links of the accused to similar scams in other States. Officials investigating the case said that Bijendra Kumar was allegedly involved in a 2024 Odisha paper leak scam. They also suspect his involvement in other paper leak cases, including the NEET scam, a senior officer said.
Why do the police suspect a larger ring of network?
Police suspect a larger network because of the way the Maharashtra TET question papers were handled and distributed. The question papers are printed in Agra, where police say papers for other examinations are also printed. Investigators are examining possible locations of the paper leak and the likelihood of a nexus between different groups.
According to the investigation so far, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) has signed a contract with Mahim Patram Private Limited, a company based in Agra and registered in Delhi, to print the TET papers. Police said the company has been handling similar contracts for the past 60 years.
As per procedure, MSCE hands over sealed question papers to the company about two months before the examination. These papers are then printed under security protocols and transported to examination centres.
Police are investigating the possibility of a leak at any stage in the above process, which spans over two months. “After handing over the sealed papers, MSCE or Maharashtra Education Department officials are not present during printing or during the tracking of the papers,” police said.
Police teams are also probing the possibility of a leak during the transport of sealed papers to the examination cities. In the current case, the recovered papers carry serial numbers from the Latur, Jalna, and Washim centres. Each centre has a different serial number. This is a security measure put in place to help identify the source of a leak, if one occurs.
So far, 10 different teams have been formed by the SIT probing the case. These teams have travelled to four States, including Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. Some teams have also visited Latur, Jalna, and Washim in Maharashtra.
The investigation is being led by Thane Joint Police Commissioner Punjabrao Ugale, along with DCP Pavan Bansod. It is being conducted under the guidance of Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dubmare and Additional CP Ashok Dudhe.
The Maharashtra government is considering invoking the stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the case.
Is this the first time a scam has hit Maharashtra TET?
This is not the first time that the Maharashtra TET has come under scrutiny. In 2022, the Pune Police conducted an investigation and alleged that the marks of more than 7,800 candidates were manipulated and changed in exchange for money. Several people, including an IAS officer, were arrested in the case. The names of the children of a senior politician were also listed as beneficiaries in the scam. However, the leader strongly denied the allegations against his children. He is currently associated with Shiv Sena, which is part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party.
What is the Opposition’s demand?
The Opposition has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse. They staged a walkout over this demand during the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has described the incident as a “theft of the youth’s future,” alleging that the country’s education and examination system has been turned into a system of extortion, leaving young people insecure.
Published – June 30, 2026 03:16 pm IST
