Maharashtra has placed Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairperson Vivek Bhimanwar on leave and appointed IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as secretary of a five-member committee investigating alleged irregularities, including a paper leak, in commission examinations. The decisions followed an 11-day student protest in Pune and an agreement between the government and the demonstrators to withdraw the agitation.
The announcement was made by Public Works Minister and government representative Shivendra Raje Bhosale after nearly two hours of discussions with Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar, student representatives and other supporters at the protest site. Congress leader Vishwajeet Kadam was also present, according to the report.
Bhimanwar’s leave will remain in force until the committee submits its report. His departure had been one of the principal demands of the protesting candidates. In a post on X, Bhimanwar said the state government had announced a judicial inquiry into the alleged MPSC paper leak and that he had decided to go on leave and not remain in office until the inquiry was completed.
“I have always prioritised ethics in my life. Therefore, I have decided to go on leave and not remain in office until the inquiry is completed,” Bhimanwar wrote, according to the report. He added that the autonomy and credibility of the MPSC, as well as the interests of students, had always been his priorities.
The inquiry committee will be headed by retired High Court judge Dilip Bhosale. Its other members are Tukaram Mundhe, B.D. Naik, Ganesh Patil and police officer Laxmi Gautam. The five-member panel has been given 60 days to submit its report. Bhosale said the commission was being constituted under the law and that Mundhe had been appointed secretary in response to the students’ demand.
The government also agreed to withdraw cases registered against the protesters, according to draft decisions handed to the students. It further agreed to double the number of Group C posts to be filled through the 2027 examination. The report does not specify the original number of posts or the revised figure.
The dispute has placed renewed attention on the administration of Maharashtra’s public recruitment examinations, which determine access to government employment for thousands of candidates. The inquiry will examine alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the MPSC; the supplied report does not establish the final findings or identify the cause of the alleged paper leak.
Mundhe, who currently serves as commissioner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration, has previously drawn attention for enforcement actions related to hygiene, licences and adulteration, according to the report. His appointment gives him an administrative role in the inquiry while the retired judge is set to lead the committee.
The immediate next step is for the committee to begin its investigation and submit its findings within the stipulated 60-day period. The government’s response to those findings will determine the subsequent action on the alleged examination irregularities and the functioning of the commission.
