MUMBAI, March 11 -- The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has suspended 81 employees for their alleged involvement in malpractices during the ongoing Class 12 board examinations. Officials said this was the highest number of suspensions in the history of the board for exam-related violations. According to the board, a total of 237 cheating cases have been registered so far in the Class 12 examination, which began on February 10 and will end on March 18. Before the exams began, the board launched a statewide campaign to ensure cheating-free examinations. Several measures were introduced to prevent malpractices, including CCTV surveillance at examination centres, flying squads, police security, surprise inspections and monitoring teams from divisional boards. Despite these measures, several incidents of mass copying were reported during the Class 12 examinations-in some cases, students were found using mobile phones and even artificial intelligence tools. After the incidents came to light, the state board decided to take strict action against those involved, including suspensions and the filing of criminal cases against responsible staff members. The suspended employees include centre directors, supervisors, centre heads, guards and peons who were on duty during the exams. Most of the suspensions were linked to specific centres where large-scale irregularities were reported: seventeen employees in Chausala in Beed district; 21 staff members from Yashwant Vidyalaya in Kurla taluka; and 21 employees in Jaitapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district were all suspended for helping students mass-copy. In Jalna district, five employees from three junior colleges were suspended for malpractices. In another case at Jumda Phata involving three schools, 28 employees were suspended. Four staff members from Bomanwar Vidyalaya in Gadchiroli were also suspended for providing micro notes. Additionally, two employees were suspended in the Betmogra dummy candidate case in Nanded district and three in Salgara in Dharashiv district for allowing students to sit in the exam with their mobiles. State board chairperson Nandkumar Bendse said, "The installation of CCTV cameras at examination centres has helped authorities detect wrongdoing more effectively. Apart from this, the monitoring system and flying squads at the district level played an important role in identifying cases of malpractice and maintaining stricter supervision during the exams." Of the 237 cheating cases registered in the Class 12 examination, the highest number, 59, was reported from the Amravati division. The Mumbai division recorded 16 cases, eight of these related to cheating in the chemistry paper. No cheating cases were registered in the Konkan division....