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Leaked PAT papers on 5 YouTube channels have lakhs of views, Pune police launch probe

According to police, the probe will not only focus on the YouTube channels where the papers were leaked but will also examine leaks, if any, within the state government entity responsible for the exam, as well as private contractors engaged in the exam’s administration.

Written by: Sushant Kulkarni, Soham Shah

4 min readPuneOct 15, 2025 09:57 AM IST

We must not rely solely on the public interest litigations and the judicial process. The political branches must understand their constitutional postadmission inclusion obligations.(File Photo)

Pune City police have launched an investigation into the alleged leak of the Periodic Assessment Test (PAT) question papers after at least three papers of the exam — held between October 10 and 13 — were found uploaded on five different YouTube channels along with their answers.

According to police, the probe will not only focus on the YouTube channels where the papers were leaked but will also examine leaks, if any, within the state government entity responsible for the exam, as well as private contractors engaged in the exam’s administration. A Pune-based company was responsible for the printing of the papers while a Mumbai-based cargo company was responsible for the transport of the papers.

PAT is an exam conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Maharashtra. It is a standardised assessment in government-run and aided schools with the objective of testing and improving learning outcomes. The test is conducted for three subjects: primary language (Marathi), Mathematics and third language (English). Many videos mentioned in the FIR are still available online on YouTube. Two videos uploaded on October 10 on different channels mentioned in the FIR have amassed over 1.2 lakh views and 90,000 views respectively in the last four days.

A senior officer from the Pune City police said, “The SCERT officials had given us a complaint application two days ago. On Monday, we called the officer concerned of assistant director rank and based on the statement given by the officer, an FIR was registered late on Monday. The FIR primarily names five YouTube channels on which the three question papers were uploaded along with the answers. The officer has stated that these question papers on the Youtube channels matched the actual papers, prima facie confirming the leak.”

Tanaji Mane, head of the Maharashtra Principals’ Association and principal at Sharadchandra Pawar Prashala and Junior College in Solapur, said, “The PAT papers first arrive in the district, then at the taluka, then at the central school. It is in this distribution chain the papers are getting leaked.”

“In addition to this, the schools are not being given enough papers and are being asked to xerox as required. The rules are that one should not xerox, but on the ground we have to xerox as it is not possible to conduct the exams for some kids and not for the others. This gives another opportunity for the paper to leak at the xerox centre,” he added.

A L Deshmukh, retired principal of Apte Prashala, said he was against the idea of conducting PAT exams as it is not possible to prevent leaks in an exam of this scale. “It is difficult to control such a huge system. We have the experience with our HSC and SSC board exams and we all know what happens there. But because those exams are conducted on a war-footing with all district collectors and police commissioners involved, we are able to somehow manage those exams. So it is natural that the PAT papers get leaked.” He also said the government should not show a lack of trust in teachers and let them conduct learning outcome assessment exams at their levels.

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Another officer, who is part of the probe, added, “When we checked the views that these videos of leaked papers have obtained, some of them have got more than one lakh views, suggesting that the links of these videos were circulated on phone messenger or social media platforms.”

“We have invoked the Information Technology Act along with the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and other specified Examinations Act. Also, the BNS section pertaining to disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servants. Our probe will focus on the persons or entities running these YouTube channels as well as the source of the exam paper leak. We now know that the subject division of SCERT sets the papers with the help of expert teachers. It is then printed by a particular entity and transported to regional centres by another private entity. Both these private entities have been selected via tender process. We will probe the possible leak in not just the government entity but also the private contractors involved in the exam administration. We may take help of cyber experts if required,” the officer added.

Sushant Kulkarni

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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