Whenever there is any major recruitment or entrance examination in the country, the hopes of lakhs of youth are linked to it. But in the last few years, another thing has become a part of almost every major examination, paper leak. Sometimes NEET, sometimes teacher recruitment, sometimes police recruitment and sometimes TET… every time the paper leak and its mastermind are discussed more than the exam. The biggest question is, where do these masterminds come from? Has any one state become the hub of paper leaks or is it an organized network spread across the country? Maharashtra TET paper was to be held on June 28, but a few hours before the paper was to be held, news of its leak came to light. The issue of NEET paper leak had not ended among the people, meanwhile a new issue has come to light.
If we look at the big cases of the last few years during the investigation in the paper leak case, then the names of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan come to the fore the most. However, this does not mean that only these states are responsible. In many cases, the accused have been from other states also, but in big exam scams, the networks of these three states have repeatedly come on the radar of the investigating agencies. According to Indian Express’s 25-year data analysis, incidents of paper leaks have continuously increased in India and there was a sharp increase in them after 2019. Its biggest impact has been on government recruitment examinations, where the future of lakhs of candidates is at stake.
Bihar: Why does the name appear again and again?
If we talk about the recent popular cases, the accused from Bihar have been discussed the most.
- Sanjeev Mukhiya was the main accused in the 2023 Bihar TET paper leak.
- Even in the 2024 NEET-UG paper leak case, the investigating agencies considered Sanjeev Mukhiya and his network as the main link.
- In the 2026 Maharashtra TET paper leak, the police also named Bijendra Gupta of Samastipur (Bihar) as the mastermind. Raids were conducted against him in many states.
Uttar Pradesh: Two big recruitment scams
- 2023-24 UP Police Constable Recruitment Exam
- UPPSC RO/ARO Exam
Big paper leaks continued to surface in Uttar Pradesh also. In both the cases, the investigating agencies named Prayagraj resident Rajeev Nayan Mishra as the main mastermind. It is alleged that he had created a network through an organized gang to leak the question paper and deliver it to the candidates.
Rajasthan: Large network of recruitment examinations
- Rajasthan has been in the news for a long time due to incidents of paper leaks in recruitment examinations.
- Jabra Ram Jat was considered the main mastermind in the paper leak case of 2022 Forest Guard Recruitment Examination.
- Many big gangs have also been exposed in matters like REET, second grade teacher recruitment and SI recruitment.
Accused from other states also remained active
It would be wrong to say that only people from Bihar, UP and Rajasthan were involved in the paper leak.
- The name of Himachal Pradesh resident Rakesh Kumar surfaced in the 2018 CBSE Class 10 paper leak case.
- Vishal Kumar Chaurasia became the main accused in the 2023 Junior Engineer examination of Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC).
It is clear from these cases that paper leak is not limited to any one state. In the last 10-12 years, almost every year there has been an incident of paper leak of some exam or the other.
Let us understand this easily through graphic-
Big paper leak cases of last 12 years (Getty Image)
What does the data say?
According to the analysis of Indian Express, in the last 25 years, more than 100 major cases of paper leaks and examination irregularities have come to light across the country. More than 5 crore candidates have been affected by this. After 2019, there has been a rise in such cases and the most affected have been government recruitment examinations. According to another report, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat are among those states where paper leaks or examination scams have come to light in recruitment examinations on a large scale. It is clear from this that this problem is not limited to just one state.
What is the real problem?
According to investigating agencies, paper leak is no longer a local crime. This inter-state network has been formed. Access to the question paper is made in one state, agents are prepared in another state and the paper is delivered to the candidates in a third state. This may include printing presses, examination centres, middlemen, IT experts and solver gangs. If we look at the recent high-profile cases, the names of accused from Bihar have appeared in the biggest paper leak cases. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have also been in the news due to continuous recruitment exam scams.
What steps did the government take?
After the Maharashtra TET paper leak case, the state government has decided to make major changes in the examination system. Now from 2027, Maharashtra TET exam will be conducted completely in online (CBT) mode. The government believes that this will prevent incidents of paper leaks, make the examination process more secure and transparent and it will be easier to maintain the confidentiality of the question paper. Apart from this, the Central and State Governments have taken many important steps to curb paper leaks and ensure strict action against the culprits. The Center has implemented anti-paper leak law, while in the states, strict action is being taken like formation of SIT, cancellation of doubtful examinations, raids on large networks and arrest of the accused.
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