Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Maharashtra government over the cancellation of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) following an alleged paper leak, saying lakhs of candidates have been left in uncertainty while those responsible remain unpunished.

In a post on X, Gandhi claimed that around six lakh aspirants have been affected and that nearly two weeks have passed since the examination was cancelled, with no announcement on a revised schedule.

Calling the situation unfair to candidates, Gandhi said the people paying the price are those who studied honestly for years, filled application forms, paid examination fees, and travelled long distances to appear for the test.

Addressing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha made three key demands.

He urged the Maharashtra government to immediately announce a fresh TET examination date, take strict action against those responsible for the alleged paper leak instead of penalising candidates, and provide age relaxation to aspirants whose recruitment prospects have been affected due to the cancellation.

‘The mistake is the institution's, the punishment the candidate's. This is not justice,’ Gandhi said in his post.

He also said he would raise the issue of recurring examination paper leaks during a discussion on July 17 in Dehradun, adding that the country needs an ‘education revolution’ to ensure young people are rewarded for their hard work rather than suffering because of systemic failures.

The Maharashtra TET was cancelled after an alleged paper leak surfaced, leaving lakhs of candidates awaiting clarity on the rescheduled examination and the next steps in the recruitment process.