NEW DELHI, July 14: Following the leak of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper in Maharashtra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called for a new exam date, action against those responsible for the leak, and age-limit relaxation for candidates affected by the situation.
The TET 2026 was postponed on June 27, just one day before it was scheduled to take place, after police in Thane district discovered that part of the question paper had been leaked, leading to the arrest of three individuals.
The Maharashtra police have since arrested additional suspects, bringing the total to ten.
In a Facebook post in Hindi, Gandhi stated, “The Maharashtra TET paper was leaked, and the exam was cancelled. Six lakh candidates are left in limbo. Two weeks have passed, yet we have no information on a new date.”
He highlighted that those responsible for the leak remain at large while candidates suffer the consequences.
“The ones who worked hard and honestly are the current and future teachers of our country-those who will shape India’s future,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha added.
He lamented that these candidates prepared year after year, filled out forms, paid fees, and travelled to remote exam centres, only to be left waiting without any updates.
“Chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis), three things are needed today: 1. Timeline: Announce the new TET date immediately. 2. Accountability: Action must be taken against those responsible for the leak, not the candidates. 3. Safeguarding the Future: Grant age-limit relaxation to those whose year has been wasted due to this leak,” Gandhi said in his post.
He emphasised that it is unjust for candidates to bear the burden when the institution is at fault.
“On July 17th, in Dehradun, I will speak to you in detail about the escalating crisis of paper leaks. The time has come for an education revolution – to build a system where the youth reap the rewards of their hard work, rather than suffering the consequences of systemic failure,” Gandhi said, referring to his upcoming second interaction with students under his ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ initiative.
An SIT (Special Investigation Team) is currently tracking financial and digital trails to apprehend the suspected masterminds behind the leak racket, Bijendra Kumar Gupta and Sonukumar Kishanlal, an official informed.
The SIT uncovered that the racket was spread across Delhi, Agra, Bihar, and Haryana.
The TET paper leak, which followed the national scandal caused by the NEET-UG paper leak, has affected nearly 6 lakh candidates. (PTI)
