New Delhi:
The issue of question paper leaks for competitive and board examinations in India is no longer an anomaly; rather, it has transformed into a highly organised, widespread, and alarming trend. The recent leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper a day before the examination scheduled for June 28, and its subsequent postponement, is yet another example of this bitter reality. Despite stringent laws and lofty claims of security, the examination mafia continues to strike at the backbone of the nation, the future of its youth.
Major revelations from investigation reports
The Indian Express Report (June 2026): An analysis of 45 major paper leak cases in the country over the last 24 years (between 2002 and 2025) revealed that meaningful action or stringent penalties were imposed on only a few high-ranking officials holding key positions in examining bodies. In the vast majority of cases, there was virtually no accountability at the highest level.
The Indian Express Report (June 2024): Various investigations have shown that over the past seven years, more than 70 major cases of paper leaks, including recruitment and board examinations, were reported across 15 states. These incidents put the future of approximately 1.7 crore students and job aspirants at stake.
Newslaundry Report (July 2024): According to compiled data from the last 10 years, a total of 89 authenticated cases of paper leaks were registered across various parts of the country, underscoring the persistent nature of this menace.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) Crackdown: The ED is currently conducting a thorough investigation into alleged education-sector scams worth around Rs 4,000 crore. These include not only paper leaks but also fake admissions, scholarship fraud, fake degree rackets, and recruitment scams. The probe agency has so far arrested several key accused across various states and attached or seized assets worth Rs 1,500 crore.
Major Examinations Postponed or Cancelled In Recent Times
- The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 scheduled for June 28 was postponed following a paper leak, affecting lakhs of students.
- The NEET UG examination 2026 was cancelled following a large-scale paper leak, affecting more than 22 lakh candidates.
- The UKSSSC Graduate-Level Recruitment Examination in Uttarakhand was cancelled due to a paper leak scam in October 2025, affecting around 1 lakh candidates.
- The HPSC Assistant Professor written examination for the Hindi subject, scheduled for June 2025, was officially cancelled, affecting thousands of candidates.
- In March 2025, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a major paper leak scam involving the East Central Railway (ECR) Departmental Examination in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh.
- The NEET examination in June 2024 triggered nationwide controversy and a legal investigation, affecting around 23 lakh students.
- The National Eligibility Test (NET) examination in June 2024 was cancelled following a paper leak, affecting around nine lakh candidates.
- The UP Police Constable Recruitment Examination in February 2024 was cancelled due to a widespread paper leak, affecting around 48 lakh candidates, and a re-examination was ordered.
- The UP Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) Preliminary Examination in February 2024 was cancelled, affecting 10.76 lakh registered candidates.
This crisis is not limited to higher education or recruitment examinations alone; it has spread to the school level as well. For instance, the Bihar Board Class 10 examination papers have reportedly been leaked six times, the West Bengal Board examination papers have reportedly leaked at least 10 times, and in Tamil Nadu, the question papers for both Class 10 and Class 12 were leaked in 2022. States such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Gujarat have been among the worst affected by this problem.
Administrative failures like paper leaks are shattering the trust of crores of promising and hardworking youth across the nation. To secure the future of India, making the examination infrastructure completely transparent, technologically secure, and foolproof is no longer optional but absolutely mandatory.
