The alleged leak of the Maharashtra Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 created a political storm on Monday, with opposition parties attacking the state government for leaking repeated exams and demanding a CBI probe into the case.The issue disrupted proceedings in both the Maharashtra Assembly and the Legislative Council. In the Council, members of the opposition created an uproar, which led to the adjournment of the House 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 position is to take stern action in this matter. Decisions will also be taken on how to conduct these exams in a transparent manner,” said Bhuse.Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned why the government failed to prevent another paper leak despite the recent NEET-UG controversy.“There are irregularities of crores of rupees and paper leaks are more frequent,” he said, adding, “If the exams cannot be held properly, then the education minister should resign.”Congress leader Satej Patil said it was the government’s responsibility to conduct error-free exams. His party colleague Jayant Asgaonkar called for a CBI probe, while Dhiraj Lingade said the country’s education system had “completely collapsed”. NCP (SP) leader Arun Lad said that paper leaks have become common because the state lacked strict laws to prevent them.In the Assembly, the opposition demanded the suspension of the question hour to discuss the TET paper leak. However, Speaker Rahul Narwekar rejected the request, saying that the House was scheduled to discuss supplementary questions and that the opposition had not followed the necessary procedure for adjournment of question hour.Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the government of failing students and teachers.“Lakhs of students and teachers spend years working hard to prepare for these exams. However, continuous paper leaks have completely washed away their hard work. The government must answer to the people of Maharashtra as to why it is repeatedly failing to conduct these exams in a transparent manner,” he said.Wadettiwar called for a thorough investigation into the leak, saying investigators should look into the entire chain, including paper setters, corporate entities and private companies involved in conducting the exam. Referring to the three arrests already made, he said that the links with other states suggest the existence of an interstate racket.The opposition said the government’s response lacked a clear strategy to prevent future escapes. Unhappy with the minister’s response, members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest.Maharashtra’s TET 2026 exam was postponed on Saturday, a day before it was scheduled, after the police in Thane found that a 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.
