E-Paper
Maharashtra Board’s first CCTV drive uncovers over 300 malpractices; 105 school staff suspended
The mandatory installation of CCTVs at exam centres this year helped authorities detect cases of mass copying, mobile use, impersonation
Maharashtra’s state board exams saw major malpractices detected through CCTV surveillance, resulting in 105 staff suspensions and finding many student violations during the February–March 2026 Class 10 (Secondary School Certificate) and Class 12 (Higher Secondary Certificate) examinations.
The mandatory installation of CCTVs at exam centres this year helped authorities detect cases of mass copying, mobile use, impersonation, and other irregularities. This year, 16.15 lakh students appeared for the exams.
In SSC, 74 incidents of malpractice were reported, while Class 12 recorded 237 cases.
Special cases include Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Amravati, Washim, Latur, Nagpur, and Gadchiroli, where students were caught mass copying or using mobile phones during exams. In some cases, micro-notes and printed materials were found, and staff supervising the centres were immediately suspended.
Students were caught mass copying during the Class 12 English exam at Beed, leading to the suspension of 17 staff. Similarly, at National High School in Jaitapur, 21 employees were suspended after CCTV revealed group cheating during the Class 12 English exam. In Amravati’s Jumda Fata Centre, 581 students were found engaged in group copying in Physics, with mobile phones found in possession of lab attendants, resulting in 27 staff suspensions.
Other incidents included Nagpur’s Bomanwar Junior College, where students used ChatGPT printouts and micro-notes for Political Science, and multiple centres in Amravati where Class 10 students were caught cheating, leading to staff suspensions. These were some of the major cases among the 105 staff suspended and 311 malpractices recorded.
Nandkumar Bedse, former acting chairman of MSBSHSE, said, “CCTV has not only helped detect malpractices, but also ensured disciplinary action against 105 staff members. Next year, we plan 100% CCTV coverage across all exam centres.”
