SSC class 10 Marathi paper allegedly leaked in Jalna, state board initiates inquiry

On the very first day of the SSC (secondary school certificate) class 10 board exams conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) on Friday, reports surfaced that the Marathi subject paper has been leaked at an examination centre in Jalna district. However, the board has not yet released any official information regarding this matter which is being investigated by the education department.

Since Friday afternoon, reports started doing the rounds of social media that photocopies of answer sheets for the class 10 Marathi subject paper were being distributed in certain areas of Mantha taluka in Jalna district. Soon after, the divisional education board office in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar requested a report on the matter from the concerned education officers.

It is said that a photocopy of the answer sheet was leaked within about 15 minutes of the beginning of the class 10 Marathi subject exam. This incident has raised concerns, especially as a ‘copy-free’ campaign is being conducted in the region. Moreover, it has been observed that the maximum number of malpractices in the class 12 board exams took place in the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar division, leading to concerns that similar incidents might occur during the class 10 board exams. Efforts to obtain an official statement from the board officials remained unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the Jalna district administration claimed that the class 10 Marathi exam paper was not leaked and that the answer sheet found was a probable question paper. The administration is investigating the matter further.

The class 10 exams conducted by the MSBSHSE Pune began on Friday, February 21, 2025 with the first language exam scheduled for the morning. Reports emerged regarding the alleged leakage of the Marathi (first language) exam paper at examination centre number 3050 located at the Zilla Parishad High School, Badnapur, taluka Badnapur, district Jalna. Additionally, reports emerged of the question paper being circulated via mobile phones at the Mahagaon and Kothari examination centres in Yavatmal district. There were similar reports concerning examination centre number 3436 at the Zilla Parishad School, Talni, taluka Mantha, district Jalna.

A press statement issued by Devidas Kulal, secretary of the state board, read: “Upon visiting examination centre number 3050 at the Zilla Parishad High School, Badnapur, Jalna district and reviewing the two pages that were broadcast on some news channels, it was found that these pages did not belong to the official Marathi (first language) question paper. Instead, they were from a privately published source. Some handwritten pages were also found containing certain questions and answers from the official question paper. This indicates that the question paper was not leaked but that some questions and answers were intentionally circulated to facilitate malpractices. Taking this incident seriously, the district administration has ordered a detailed inquiry and instructed that action be taken against those found guilty.”

“Reports about the Marathi (first language) question paper being circulated via mobile phones at the Mahagaon and Kothari examination centres in Yavatmal district were also investigated. A detailed report from the concerned authorities confirmed that the official question paper was not leaked, but an attempt was made to misuse the questions by circulating them. Instructions have been given to file criminal charges against the individuals responsible for this act. At examination centre number 3436 in the Zilla Parishad School, Talni, taluka Mantha, district Jalna, parents came to the centre to drop off their children. However, with police assistance, the premises were vacated before commencement of the exam. No untoward incident occurred during the examination,” he said.