The Maharashtra government on Saturday postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026, a day before it was scheduled to be held, after police uncovered that the question paper had been leaked. The police arrested three people linked to what authorities described as an interstate syndicate.

The development affects around six lakh candidates and comes weeks after the nationwide controversy over the leak of the NEET-UG examination paper.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Thane Joint Commissioner of Police Panjabrao Ugale, to probe the leak.

Fadnavis also spoke to School Education Minister Dada Bhuse and Director General of Police Sadanand Date, directing them to take strict action against those involved.

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Three arrested, inter-state syndicate uncovered

According to an official release, Bhiwandi Police arrested three individuals from Bihar and Haryana after receiving a tip-off that leaked TET question papers were being offered for sale.

"On June 27, DCP (Zone-2) of Bhiwandi, Pawan Bansod, received a confidential tip-off that a few individuals were planning to sell the leaked question papers of the upcoming TET exam. Multiple police teams verified the information and detained three suspects. Police recovered copies of the TET exam papers scheduled for Sunday," the release said.

Education department officials later confirmed that the seized papers were the original question papers for the June 28 examination.

Police said the arrested men were part of an inter-state syndicate. Multiple teams have been sent to other states to trace the source of the leak.

A case has been registered at Kongaon police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act. Officials noted that offences under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination Act are non-bailable.

Exam postponed to protect credibility

Citing the seriousness of the breach, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) postponed the test. "Given the gravity of the situation....the exam scheduled for June 28, 2026, has been postponed," the council said.

The MSCE said the decision was taken to ensure transparency and allow police to conduct a thorough investigation. It urged candidates not to believe rumours and said revised examination dates would be announced on its website.

MSCE Deputy Commissioner Priya Shinde said organising an examination of this scale typically takes around three weeks. "Candidates who had registered for the examination will not have to register again. Since the candidates are not at fault, no re-registration fee will be charged," she said.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the leak "highly outrageous" and said he would speak to Fadnavis about invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against those behind the racket.

The paper leak triggered fresh political attacks on the BJP-led government, with Opposition leaders drawing parallels with the NEET controversy.

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said, "Now the TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) paper has leaked too. Whether it's NEET or TET, it's the misfortune of the country that this government can't conduct even a single exam properly."

Referring to the NEET paper leak, she said, "Due to the NEET paper leak, it had to be canceled. As a result, many students took their own lives. Even though the exam was held again, the entire country witnessed how indifferent the government is toward the education sector in this whole affair, and how utterly mismanaged this department is."

The Maharashtra TET postponement comes less than two months after NEET-UG 2026 for undergraduate medical admissions was cancelled on May 3 following a paper leak and later re-conducted on June 21.