Mass Copying In Maharashtra HSC 2026 Exam; 581 Students Caught In Washim

In an incident of mass copying during the exam, at least 581 students were found to be allegedly involved at the centre in Maharashtra’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination. The incident came to light during a surprise inspection on February 16.

Following the investigation, at least 26 staff members of a junior college in Maharashtra’s Washim district have been booked.

The incident reportedly happened during the Physics paper at Shri Mainagiri Maharaj Junior College. A flying squad conducted the inspection and detected large-scale malpractice at the examination centre. Following this, an FIR was registered against 26 staff members at the centre. Officials have also proposed to suspend those booked in the case.

The answer sheets of the students involved are under scrutiny, and further action will be taken as per the board rules.

The Washim case is the fourth such incident reported during the ongoing Maharashtra HSC examinations. Earlier, three mass-copy cases were registered in Beed, Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar, and Jalna districts on the first day of the exam during the English paper.

In Beed’s Chausala, an FIR was registered against 17 people at an Arts and Science Junior College after students were found indulging in mass copying with the assistance of the supervisors and directors of the centres.

In Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar’s Jaitapur, 24 people were booked in a similar case at Rashtriya Higher Secondary School, and in Jalna, 6 staff members have been suspended at three schools.

The malpractice was observed on February 10, the first day of the exams, after drone-mounted surveillance cameras captured supervisors across 16 examination halls allegedly assisting students. An FIR was registered against 17 teachers in Centre 224, Chousala.

In Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar district, the incident came to light at Rashtriya Higher Secondary School after the CCTV footage confirmed that students were copying from one another’s answer sheets. The entire exam staff at the centre was replaced following the incident.

Nandakumar Bedse, interim chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, ensured strict actions against those involved in malpractices.