Board examinations usually test students. Occasionally, they test the system that conducts them. Last week in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination centre became the site of a different kind of scrutiny, one that exposed how quickly new technology can be folded into old patterns of malpractice.An AI-driven cheating racket was detected during the HSC Class 12 examinations at an exam centre in Chamorshi on February 18, 2026. Education department sources indicated that the political science, chemistry and physics papers were likely compromised. The method, according to officials, involved the use of ChatGPT to generate answers in real time, TNN reports.
How the racket surfaced
The operation came to light during a surprise inspection by a flying squad led by Zilla Parishad chief executive officer Suhas Gade. The team arrived shortly before the examination concluded at around 4:55 pm. According to officials quoted by TNN, chits found inside the premises contained answers that were later identified as having been generated through ChatGPT.While the squad was collecting the slips scattered across the centre, they noticed a peon, Suraj Kelzarkar, entering under circumstances they found suspicious. His mobile phone was seized. A preliminary examination of the device revealed that question papers had been forwarded to a teacher at the same school, Mahendra Kirme, officials said.
The method: From question paper to printed answer
Subsequent inquiry suggested a coordinated process. Questions were photographed or relayed from inside the examination hall, entered into ChatGPT for responses, printed at a nearby location and then circulated back to students for copying. What distinguished this episode was not the intent but the tool. The handwritten chit was replaced by a digital query, the whispered answer by an automated response.Gade said the irregularities became evident during routine checks. “We formed a probe committee under the education officer. Actions were initiated to suspend four persons,” he said, according to TNN.Vasudev Bhuse, education officer for secondary education, confirmed that the matter had been reported to the HSC board. “School teacher Sushil Lanjewar, exam centre conductor Mahendra Burlewar, another teacher Mahendra Kirme and a peon Suraj Kelzarkar have been named in a First Information Report. While Lanjewar has been suspended, action will be taken against other accused too,” Bhuse said, according to TNN.
A district in transition
The location adds another layer to the episode. Gadchiroli, once known primarily as a Maoist-affected district, has in recent years sought to expand schooling access and improve youth outcomes. It is also an area often described as having limited digital penetration. The use of an AI platform in this setting illustrates how quickly technological tools can travel beyond metropolitan classrooms and coaching centres.
The larger question for examinations
The incident does not indicate that exams have been fundamentally altered overnight. It does, however, mirror that oversight mechanisms designed for earlier forms of copying are being tested by newer methods. When exam questions can be transmitted within minutes and answers generated almost instantly, the gap between supervision and circumvention narrows.For students, the immediate consequence may be limited to cancelled papers or tightened checks. For administrators, the challenge is bigger. Public exams rely less on difficulty and more on credibility. Each breach, whether analogue or digital, shifts attention from student preparation to institutional vigilance.What unfolded in Chamorshi was not merely an instance of individual misconduct. It was a reminder that exam systems are as strong as their weakest procedural link. As AI tools become commonplace, the question is no longer whether they will enter the exam ecosystem, but how quickly authorities adapt to their presence.
