Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 12 (ANI): The Maharashtra government has constituted a five-member committee headed by retired Bombay High Court judge Dilip Bhosale to investigate alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruitment examinations and examine candidates' complaints amid ongoing protests.
Tukaram Mundhe, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharshtra, has been appointed as the committee's secretary. The other members include IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P D Naik.
The decision was announced by Maharashtra Minister Shivendraraje Bhosale after discussions on the demands of candidates protesting in Pune over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in MPSC recruitment examinations.
Among the candidates' demands are the withdrawal of cases registered against protesters, recruitment to 70,000 posts over the next three years and an increase in the number of vacancies for the Group-C examination scheduled for January.
The candidates have also demanded the removal of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar. However, the government's position on this demand remains unclear.
Earlier today, the Maharashtra government sent Bhimanwar on compulsory leave until the completion of the inquiry into the alleged paper leak case, following an 11-day-long protest by aspirants in Pune, demanding his resignation.
Bhosale met the protesting aspirants and announced that cases registered against students in connection with the agitation would be withdrawn. He also assured them that strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the MPSC paper leak case.
Speaking to ANI after his meeting with MPSC aspirants, Bhonsle said, "A positive stance regarding the MPSC has been established; the committee simply needed to make some technical adjustments. We have prepared those changes, and that is what is being submitted now."
Earlier, in a post on X, Bhimanwar wrote, "The state government has announced a judicial inquiry into the MPSC paper leak case. Throughout my entire life, I have always prioritised ethics. Therefore, I have decided to go on leave during this period instead of continuing to serve in the post until this inquiry is completed.”
“The autonomy, credibility, and interests of students of the MPSC have always been my priority, and they will continue to be so in the future,” he added.
This comes amid the agitation by MPSC aspirants in Pune seeking action over alleged examination irregularities and other issues concerning the commission.
MPSC had initiated a preliminary inquiry following complaints regarding alleged malpractice in the screening examination held on March 22.
The Commission had published an advertisement for the Drug Inspector post on July 29, 2025. The screening examination was conducted offline on March 22 at six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra, and its result was declared on June 12.
Following the screening examination, 506 candidates were found eligible for interviews. Of these, interviews of 488 candidates were conducted between July 1 and July 22.
After the completion of interviews, the Commission published a provisional general merit list comprising 488 candidates, including 485 eligible and three ineligible candidates for the post.
Meanwhile, between July 22 and July 26, the Commission received complaints through email from candidates and public representatives alleging malpractice in the March 22 screening examination.
The complaints alleged that some candidates had received the question paper or questions before the examination, on March 20, and that these were subsequently circulated through social media or electronic media.
The MPSC cancelled the entire recruitment process for the post following irregularities in the examination. (ANI)
Maharashtra Govt forms panel to probe MPSC irregularities, Tukaram Mundhe named secretary
