Maharashtra Congress leader and AICC secretary Sachin Sawant on Monday alleged that the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) examination may have allegedly witnessed irregularities similar to the alleged NEET paper leak case.
In a press conference at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai, Sawant claimed that several students who had scored very low marks in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations had secured exceptionally high percentile scores in MH-CET, including 100 percentile in some cases.
He demanded a high-level inquiry into the examination process and strict action against those found responsible.
Sawant alleged that at least 22 students who had secured barely 35 to 40 per cent marks in board examinations later achieved extremely high scores in MH-CET.
According to Sawant, one student who had scored only 37 per cent in Class 10 allegedly secured 99.971 percentile in MH-CET. He further claimed that some students with around 45 to 51 per cent marks in board examinations obtained 100 percentile scores in the entrance test.
The Congress leader also pointed to discrepancies among top-ranked candidates in the mathematics section. He claimed that several students who secured 100 percentile in CET mathematics had comparatively low scores in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) mathematics examinations.
Demand for clarification from govt
Sawant questioned how such large differences in academic performance were possible and sought an explanation from Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil.
He also demanded clarity on who controls the MH-CET examination system and raised questions regarding the role of certain officials allegedly associated with the examination process.
Comparison with NEET paper leak case
Referring to the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged NEET paper leak, Sawant said examination-related scams were creating anxiety among students and parents across the country.
He criticised the rise in alleged examination irregularities and said competitive examinations play a decisive role in shaping students’ futures.
Sawant further alleged that the same officials have been working in the MH-CET examination cell for several years without transfers and called for a detailed investigation into the functioning of the system.
MH-CET cell yet to respond
Sawant said he had previously raised the issue on social media platform X, following which the MH-CET examination cell reportedly claimed that the circulated list of students was unclear.
He stated that student identities had intentionally been hidden while sharing the data publicly and said he would submit another letter along with supporting documents to the MH-CET authorities seeking clarification.
No official response from the state government or MH-CET authorities had been issued at the time of reporting.
