Mumbai, Mar 7 (TOI): The maths & stats question paper for the HSC commerce stream was leaked on a messaging app on Monday almost 40 minutes before the test started at 11am.

Though this was the fifth HSC paper leak in as many days, the state education minister dismissed the incident as "mischief". Calling the leaks a "very small matter", Vinod Tawde said a leak is when a paper is out a day or at least an hour before an exam; a few minutes are not enough to give candidates an unfair advantage. He also implied the HSC exams are not important enough to incentivise cheating. Two more arrests were made on Monday , taking the total to four.

Meanwhile, the education board is thinking of scrapping the 10-minute question reading time given to examinees. It has also announced three steps: supervisors must record candidates entering the exam hall after the start of a test; cellphones cannot be used other than the centre in-charge and the custodian of question papers; all paper custody centres must have an assistant custodian who must record each instance of question papers being physically shifted.