Two teachers of a Chembur-based college in Mumbai have been booked by the Azad Maidan police for allegedly leaking the questions papers of last year’s elementary and intermediate drawing examinations, which are conducted by the Directorate of Arts. The exams, which were supposed to be held between September 26 to 29, were cancelled after the Director of Directorate of Arts, Rajiv Mishra, received the question papers on his WhatsApp three days prior to the exams.

The police said the question papers were prepared by a seven-member committee appointed by the government and printed in the Government Press on Charney Road in Mumbai. Following this, these were kept in a room at J J School of Arts.

“While question papers were being sent to various examination centres, Mishra received the same on his WhatsApp on September 23,” said an officer from Azad Maidan police station.

The department had then said that the exams were cancelled owing to technical issues and an inquiry was initiated. Later, a notification was issued by the Directorate of Arts Controller of Examination Nagesh Waghmode, ordering the examination centres that had received the questions papers to return them. The police said that the inquiry committee, while scrutinising the sealed bundles of question papers that were sent to the centres, found that eight of the 22 bundles sent to a college in Chembur had been tampered with. “The eight bundles had been opened and then repacked. As per rules, they are not supposed to be opened till the day of the exams,” said the officer. The committee went on to hold two senior teachers of the college responsible in a report to Waghmode. “He then submitted a complaint application at the police station,” the officer said.

The police conducted a probe and booked the two teachers on Saturday on charges of criminal breach of trust under IPC, Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act and Information Technology Act. Senior Inspector Vidyasagar Kalkundre said: “The school was one of the centres… the two teachers have been accused of leaking the question papers. No one has been arrested as the matter is still under investigation.”

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