The Maharashtra state government postponed the 2026 Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) after the examination paper was leaked early this month [1, 2, 3].
The leak threatens the integrity of the state's teacher certification process and has prompted a large-scale criminal investigation into an alleged interstate network. Because the TET is a mandatory requirement for teaching positions, the breach affects thousands of prospective educators.
Authorities formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify those responsible for obtaining and distributing the exam materials [1, 2, 3]. Several suspects have already been arrested and produced in a Bhiwandi court [1].
Investigators believe the operation involved a coordinated effort spanning multiple regions. To dismantle this network, the government dispatched four SIT teams [4] to West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, and Haryana [1, 3].
Police said more arrests are likely as the probe intensifies [2]. The SIT is currently working to determine how the paper was accessed and which officials or intermediaries may have been involved in the leak [2, 3].
The investigation is scheduled to continue until July 6, 2026 [1]. State officials have not yet announced a new date for the rescheduled examination.
“The Maharashtra state government postponed the 2026 Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) after the examination paper was leaked.”
The scale of the investigation, involving four separate state teams, suggests that the leak was not an isolated local incident but part of a sophisticated, interstate organized crime network specializing in exam fraud. This puts pressure on the Maharashtra government to overhaul its examination security protocols to prevent future breaches of high-stakes certification tests.
