The Maharashtra government has appointed a five-member panel to investigate alleged paper leaks and other irregularities in Maharashtra Public Service Commission examinations, with the inquiry also covering the tenures of current and former commission chairpersons and members.
The government named senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, as secretary of the panel, officials told PTI. Former judge Dilip Bhosale will chair the committee. IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P D Naik are the other members.
The panel was formed after MPSC aspirants held a 10-day protest in Pune, demanding reforms in the state recruitment body. Minister Shivendraraje Bhosale announced the committee’s composition on Sunday after meeting the protesters at SM Joshi Bridge. The aspirants later ended their agitation, according to PTI.
The inquiry will examine alleged irregularities in the conduct of MPSC examinations and the tenures of present and past chairpersons and members, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said while proposing the panel the previous week. The government’s decision places the commission’s examination processes and senior-level functioning under a single judicially headed review.
MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar has proceeded on leave until the inquiry is completed. The protesters had sought his removal over paper leaks that they said occurred during his tenure, although Fadnavis said the alleged leaks took place before Bhimanwar became chairman. The government has not announced any finding against him.
The students had also demanded that the state government recommend the chairman’s removal to the President of India, increase recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, raise the number of seats in the Group C examination scheduled for January and conduct background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before their appointment.
Bhosale told the protesters that their other demands would also be addressed. The minister’s assurances followed sustained pressure from aspirants, who have argued that examination irregularities affect not only individual candidates but also confidence in the state’s public recruitment system.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who had been protesting alongside the aspirants, welcomed Mundhe’s inclusion in the panel. Pawar said the committee’s scope should cover alleged examination irregularities as well as the tenures of current and former MPSC officials. He also said the panel should be allowed to work independently.
Fadnavis had said that if the committee found misconduct by a commission chairperson, its recommendation would be sent to the President for appropriate action under Article 317 of the Constitution. The provision governs the removal and suspension of chairpersons and members of public service commissions, including the Union Public Service Commission and state commissions.
The committee’s findings, the government’s response to the students’ remaining demands and the status of pending examinations will determine the next stage of the dispute. The inquiry is expected to examine both the specific allegations surrounding MPSC examinations and the administrative record of the commission’s current and former leadership.
