The Higher Secondary Certificate examination concluded on March 11, with 237 copying cases recorded statewide despite the much-discussed ‘copy-free’ drive that included the installation of CCTV cameras across exam halls. Mumbai alone accounted for 16 such cases. The board also saw 81 teacher suspensions owing to copy cases. This is the highest number recorded yet, and the number of FIRs registered in connection with such cases is likely to go up, as per board officials.

Districts like Beed, Sambhajinagar, and Washim saw notable suspensions of teachers. The State Board suspects 581 Std XII students at a centre in Amravati’s Washim allegedly indulged in mass copying during their Physics exam on February 16.