Three people were arrested in Jalna district of Maharashtra after reports of alleged cheating surfaced at a Zilla Parishad school on Friday, the first day of the SSC exams in the state. In a separate copying incident in Yavatmal, Maharashtra police registered a case against the exam centre in-charge of a School in Mahagaon taluka.
The accused in Badnapur, Jalna, allegedly photographed handwritten answers and distributed them to assist students during the Marathi exam. Meanwhile, in Yavatmal, reports surfaced that the question paper had been circulated via mobile phones.
Anil Sabale, Deputy Director of Education, Aurangabad Division, stated that the matter was taken seriously as soon as the information was received, and officials were immediately dispatched to the concerned schools to conduct an investigation.
Another official from the education department stated that a thorough inquiry is underway, and further arrests may follow. The individuals taken into custody have been charged under the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices Act, 1982, as part of the government’s ‘Copy-Mukt Abhiyan’ initiative to prevent exam fraud. “The department remains committed to its stance under the copy-free examination campaign and is making sure that such malpractices are not recorded going forward,” said the official.
Responding to the situation, Dadaji Bhuse, Maharashtra’s Minister of School Education, had previously stated that examination centres found guilty of facilitating paper leaks will be permanently debarred. Despite introducing stringent measures aimed at ensuring the integrity of examinations and preventing malpractice, such incidents continue to emerge.
Former president of the State Headmasters’ Association, Mahendra Ganpule, stressed the importance of raising awareness about the consequences of cheating, stating that students should focus on their studies rather than resorting to unfair means, as such incidents demotivate those who prepare diligently. A student appearing for the SSC examinations expressed frustration over the issue, saying it would be unfair if those who work hard receive lower marks than those who rely on cheating.
To uphold the integrity of the examinations, the state government has introduced stricter surveillance under its copy-free campaign, deploying drones for the first time at high-risk centres. In the Mumbai division alone, 11 centres have been flagged as sensitive. Authorities have also ordered the closure of all photocopying shops within 500 metres of examination centres and imposed Section 144 to prevent unlawful gatherings that could facilitate misconduct.
