The alleged leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 question paper created a political storm on Monday, with opposition parties attacking the state government over repeated examination leaks and demanding a CBI investigation into the case.The issue disrupted proceedings in both the Maharashtra Assembly and Legislative Council. In the Council, opposition members created an uproar, leading to the House being adjourned for 30 minutes. They also demanded the resignation of School Education Minister Dada Bhuse.Responding to the allegations, Bhuse said a detailed statement on the matter would be made later in the day. He said the government had already formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and more than four teams were investigating the case.“The government’s stand is to take stern action in this matter. Decisions will also be taken on how to conduct these exams in a transparent manner,” Bhuse said.Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned why the government had failed to prevent another paper leak despite the recent NEET-UG controversy.“There are irregularities of crores of rupees and paper leaks are happening more frequently,” he alleged, adding, “If exams cannot be held properly, then the education minister should resign.”Congress leader Satej Patil said it was the government’s responsibility to conduct examinations without errors. His party colleague Jayant Asgaonkar demanded a CBI probe, while Dhiraj Lingade claimed the country’s education system had “completely collapsed”. NCP (SP) leader Arun Lad said paper leaks had become common because the state lacked strict laws to prevent them.In the Assembly, the opposition sought suspension of Question Hour to discuss the TET paper leak. However, Speaker Rahul Narwekar rejected the request, saying the House was scheduled to discuss supplementary demands and that the opposition had not followed the required procedure for suspending Question Hour.Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Vijay Wadettiwar accused the government of failing students and teachers.“Lakhs of students and teachers spend years working hard to prepare for these examinations. However, continuous paper leaks are completely washing away their hard work. The government must answer to the people of Maharashtra as to why it repeatedly fails to conduct these exams transparently,” he said.Wadettiwar called for a thorough investigation into the leak, saying investigators should examine the entire chain, including paper setters, corporate entities and private firms involved in conducting the examination. Referring to the three arrests already made, he alleged that links to other states suggested the existence of an interstate racket.The opposition said the government’s response lacked a clear strategy to prevent future leaks. Unhappy with the minister’s reply, members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest.The Maharashtra TET 2026 examination was postponed on Saturday, a day before it was scheduled to be held, after police in Thane found that part of the question paper had been leaked. Three people have been arrested so far.Following the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the formation of an SIT headed by Thane Joint Commissioner of Police Panjabrao Ugale to investigate the paper leak.
