Mumbai: Reports of paper leak emerged from a Zilla Parishad school in Jalna district as students of Class 10 appeared for their first Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination on Friday. Similar allegations soon followed from examination centres in Yavatmal district.

Responding to the situation, Dadaji Bhuse, Maharashtra’s Minister of School Education, stated that examination centres found guilty of facilitating paper leaks will be permanently debarred.

Bhuse’s statement aligns with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s recent directive that any examination centre involved in mass cheating during Class 10 and 12 board exams would face permanent closure. However, it must be noted that these incidents have come to light despite the state government’s implementation of the ‘Copy-Mukt Abhiyan’ (Copy-Free Campaign), which introduced stringent measures aimed at ensuring the integrity of examinations and preventing malpractice across Maharashtra.

According to sources, the Marathi examination paper from a centre in Badnapur, Jalna district, was leaked within 15 minutes of the exam commencing. In Mahagaon and Kothari examination centres in Yavatmal district, it was further reported that the question paper was circulated via mobile phones.

Sharad Gosavi, Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), has assured that a thorough investigation is underway. He reiterated that appropriate action would be taken against those found guilty of misconduct.

In an official statement, MSBSHSE confirmed that while the entire question paper was not leaked, “certain questions and answers from the original paper were handwritten, photocopied, and distributed in an attempt to facilitate cheating.” Similarly, in Yavatmal district, an attempt was made to spread specific questions from the original paper via mobile phones. Authorities have been directed to file criminal charges against those involved.

To prevent such incidents, the Maharashtra government had already implemented several strict measures under its Copy-Free Campaign. For the first time, drones have been deployed for surveillance at examination centres identified as ‘sensitive’ due to past instances of malpractice. Within the Mumbai division alone, 11 centres have been classified as high-risk.

Additionally, all photocopying (Xerox) shops within a 500-metre radius of examination centres have been ordered to remain shut throughout the examination period to prevent the unauthorised reproduction of question papers. Authorities have also enforced Section 144 around examination centres to prevent unlawful gatherings that could facilitate misconduct.

Further strengthening its stance against malpractice, the state government has invoked the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices Act, 1982, to impose strict penalties on individuals involved in aiding or abetting cheating. Offenders will face cognisable and non-bailable charges.